Hitler's Last Gamble
Hitler's Last Gamble Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Rule Book Format
- Introduction
- Game Rules
- 1.0 Supply Phase
- 2.0 Replacement Phase
- 3.0 Reserve Designation Phase
- 4.0 Movement Phase
- 5.0 Enemy Reaction Phase
- 6.0 Combat Phase
- 7.0 Exploitation Phase
- 8.0 Engineer Phase
- 9.0 The Special Rules
- 10.0 Victory Conditions
- 11.0 Game Variants
- Clarifications (Cl)
- Sequence Of Play Chart
- Terrain Effects Chart
- Movement Combination Table
- Uncertain Weather Table
- Combat Results Table – AM
- Combat Results Table – PM
- Combat Modification Chart
- Combined Arms Table
- Armor Superiority Table
- German Tank Identity Table
- Fuel Dump Demolition Table
- German Fuel Shortage Table
- Surrender Table
- Bridge Demolition Table
- Commando Deception Attack Table
- Commando Elimination Table
- Ground Attack Support Table
- Ground Defense Support Table
- Air Attack Table
- Air Interdiction Table
- German Paradrop Table
- Attack Order Summary Table
- Defense Order Summary Table
- Advanced / Optional Rule List
- German Air Order Of Battle
- Allied Air Order Of Battle
- German Ground Order Of Battle
- Allied Ground Order Of Battle
- Commander Utilization Table
- Attack Log
- Replacement Schedule
Rule Book Format
The original rule booklet provided with Hitler's Last Gamble contained many errors that were subsequently corrected with 19 pages of errata. It offered three different sections of Basic, Advanced and Optional rules that often overlapped and frequently contradicted each other. Version 3 combines all three sections and all published errata into one rule set, replaces the Version 2 Ground Order Of Battle and corrects graphics and foreign word spelling using the following format:
The basic rules (B) will be presented as the basis for each rule section that follows the sequence of play.
Advanced (Adv) and Optional (Opt) rules supplement the basic rules using sub paragraphs in the same section.
All errata are incorporated along with clarifications (Cl) as logic suggests.
All unit appearance data has been moved to the Order Of Battle tables and notes.
Game specific phrases, town, city and unit names are identified in "quotation marks" in their introductory paragraph and italics thereafter.
Players may utilize any or all of the Advanced or Optional rules as they see fit. Play balance and realism are enhanced the more they are used.
Introduction
The Game
Hitler's Last Gamble is a regimental-battalion level war game of the German Ardennes Offensive of 1944-45, known as the Battle of the Bulge. This epic battle is explored through basic, advanced and optional rules and scenarios that address many of the important factors that influenced the progress of the campaign. The game is based on a very careful analysis of the terrain, troops, weapons and leaders that were involved. Exhaustive research has unearthed a wealth of new detailed information on the battle that is included in this game for the first time. A historical study, designer's notes and a complete bibliography are provided in the study booklet to describe the rationale for the game rules.
Game Organization
Hitler's Last Gamble is presented in a number of components, all of which are important to the playing of the game:
The Map is a detailed terrain analysis of the topographic features that made up the actual battlefield. Hexagons (hereafter referred to as hexes) regulate the positions and movement of the unit counters.
The Unit Counters represent the various combat units and leaders that participated in the battle. Other counters represent game markers that regulate game functions.
The Charts and Tables are required to play the Game. The Terrain Effects Chart, the Combat Results Table, Combined Arms and Armor Superiority Tables and the German Fuel Shortage Table are the most important. Minor charts include the German Uncertain Weather Table, Paradrop Table, Bridge Destruction Table, German Tank Identity Table, Replacement Schedule, Surrender Table, Command Options Chart, and Commander Utilization Chart (Cl). All charts and tables are provided at the back of the rule book. Each player has Air/Ground Order Of Battle (OOB) tables that contain the starting positions of units at the beginning of play and the turn and location at which other units enter play later. The Turn Record Track (located across the top of the map sheet) helps players keep track of the current turn, replacements received, tactical air support, ground conditions and other important events. A Sequence of Play chart and Attack Log are included to regulate and record turn activity (Cl).
The Rules are a set of procedures that strictly govern game activities. The structure of the game rests upon the sequence of play which is the order in which all game activities are conducted. There are two major versions of the game – a basic version for the novice and an advanced version for the experienced player. Optional rules allow additional historical detail for those who desire it. A series of variants that explore historical "what if?" situations are included for interest and further play.
The Study Booklet presents the historical events in the game and how the game approaches them. The booklet includes a historical summary of the battle, and analysis of the important aspects that shaped its outcome, a complete OOB for each side, designer's notes and an annotated bibliography that presents the rationale and sources used in creating the game.
Parts Inventory
Two 20"x32" map sheet sections, one rule booklet, one historical study booklet, two counter sheets, two dice, one counter tray, one game box.
Scale Of The Game
Each hex represents actual terrain that is 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) in width. Each AM (Day) turn represents 8 hours of real time (8AM to 4PM). Each PM (Night) turn represents 16 hours of real time (4PM to 8AM). The units represent brigades, regiments, battalions or companies. Infantry battalions represent roughly 1,000 men; infantry regiments represent roughly 4,000 men. Armored infantry regiments contain 3,000-4,000 men. Armored infantry regiments with an attack strength equal to their defense strength contain 100-200 half-tracks. Armored infantry regiments with a defense strength greater than their attack strength move by organic truck transport. Full strength armored battalions contain 20-60 armored fighting vehicles. Armored brigades contain 50-100 armored fighting vehicles. Artillery units contain 25-120 guns or rocket launchers. German Flak and Anti-Tank units contain 30-50 88mm guns. Air units represent 40-80 aircraft sorties over the battle field. Commander units represent the various Army and Corps level leaders and their staffs.
The Units
The die cut counters (hereafter referred to as "units") represent the military formations that participated in the battle. The Allied forces include U.S. units (colored white on light brown), British units (colored white on red) and two French and Belgian units (colored white on blue). The German forces include Wehrmacht (regular army) units (colored black on light blue-gray); Waffen SS units (colored white on black); and Luftwaffe ground units (colored black on light blue). Also included are a variety of game markers whose functions are described in the rules.
Unit Markings
Attack Strength: is a quantification of a unit's attack capability.
Defense Strength: is a quantification of a unit's defense capability.
Movement Allowance: is a quantification of a unit's movement capabilities. Each unit pays one or more movement points to enter hexes of various types. This allowance may be modified by the presence of a road, slope, water obstacle, a unit's tactical formation and supply state.
Reduced Strength: Most units are back printed with a reduced strength indicating lower effectiveness due to combat losses. Going from full to reduced strength is known and "losing a step". Units that have already been reduced or have no back printed side that are called upon lose a step are destroyed / eliminated instead. Some units set up or arrive in the game in a reduced state. See the German and Allied OOB, Note (R-).
Special Markings
Restricted Units ("x" next to replacement code). These units enter the game later in play and have certain restrictions on their use.
Improved Positions (brackets around hex number, e.g. [0406]). This indicates that a unit starts the game in an improved position (IP) with an Improved Position marker. An IP represents the presence of foxhole lines, barbed wire, gun emplacements, supporting arms communications and other deliberate defensive measures (Cl).
Reserves (parentheses around hex number, e.g. (1234)). This indicates that a unit starts the game in reserve with a Reserve marker.
Optional Units (asterisk "*"). Special conditions or an optional rule govern the unit's entry.
Entry Data. Each unit contains one of two pieces of entry data, either a set-up hex location at the beginning of the game (e.g. 0704) OR the game turn of entry and appropriate entry area (e.g. 22AM - U). If the entry area contains more than one letter (e.g. "X-Y"), the unit may enter the map on any hex between them (inclusive).
Unit Types
Combat units are classified by type as either motorized or non-motorized, each of which have specific capabilities and limitations. Armored and panzer type units have silhouettes printed on them; non-armored type units have a unit symbol.
Motorized Units
Armor Units (units with a silhouette). These represent units composed primarily of tanks, assault guns, armored cars, half-tracks and other armored fighting vehicles (Cl).
German Kampfgruppen (KG). In the actual battle, the Germans organized "Panzer Kampfgruppen" that were combined armor/infantry combat groups similar to U.S. Combat Commands. These units were usually built around the panzer division's panzer grenadier regiment with an attached panzer battalion, or it could be built around the two panzer battalions of the division's panzer regiment (e.g. 1SS and 12SS PZ) with an attached panzer grenadier battalion.
Allied Task Forces (TF). Besides those single unit Combat Commands that have Task Force designations, the Allied player may form multi-unit "Task Forces" (TF) within the following units: U.S. 2nd Armored Division (2Arm), 3rd Armored Division (3Arm) and the British Guards Armored Division (GA).
German Heavy Tiger Units. The Germans possessed several heavy panzer and Panzerjäger battalions. See the German OOB Notes N2, N3 and N8 for their appearance data and paragraph 6.6 for the basic and optional combat modifications for Tiger tanks.
Armored or Panzer Units
Armored Infantry (Panzer Grenadiers). These represent mechanized infantry formations that are primarily transported by half-tracks.
Artillery, Rocket Launchers (Neblwerfers). These units represent Army and Corps level artillery formations of large caliber, long-range guns, typically 72+ guns or 25+ rocket launchers strong. The artillery that was organic to individual divisions is factored in the attack and defense strength of the division's armor and infantry units (Cl).
Flak (88mm guns). These represent fully motorized Luftwaffe field regiments of thirty-six 88mm Anti-Aircraft (Flak) guns that also served in a ground support role.
Anti-Tank (Panzerjäger, 88mm guns). These represent fully motorized battalions of thirty 88mm Anti-Tank guns specifically trained by the German army to serve in a ground combat, anti-armor role.
Commando Units (Opt). The eight German "commando" units represent the famous "Einheit Stielau" jeep units of Otto Skorzeny's "Operation Grief". Their purpose was to spread panic behind enemy lines, re-direct traffic, demolish bridges, disrupt communications and provide reconnaissance. They are non-combat units that are always in supply, can never be isolated and do not have attack or defense strengths. They cannot attack or defend by themselves and are ignored during the combat phase. See the German OOB for their appearance data.
Commanders (Opt). The 23 optional "commander" units represent various army and corps leaders and their staffs. Commanders are non-combat units but have the ability to influence both offensive and defensive combat.
Non-Armored Units
Non-Motorized Units
Infantry, Volks Grenadier and Static Infantry. These represent regular, non-motorized, marching infantry regiments, brigades and battalions.
Parachute Infantry. These represent elite formations of Allied Airborne and Glider Infantry and German "Fallschirmjäger" units.
KG Von der Heydte. This elite Fallschirmjäger battalion (1-1-5) is assigned to "Operation Stösser" (6.9). It is the only parachute infantry unit that may be air-dropped during the game.
Ranger Infantry. One Allied unit represents the elite 78th Battalion, 2nd Ranger Regiment (78/2Rng).
Engineers. These represent combat and bridge engineer regiments and battalions whose primary function is to enhance the mobility of combat units (Cl). All American engineers are motorized. German engineers (Pioneers) with a movement allowance of 6 are motorized; those with a movement allowance of 5 are non-motorized.
Unit Sizes: II = Battalion, III = Regiment, X = Brigade, XXX = Corps. Units with silhouettes are battalion-sized unless otherwise noted.
Map Terrain
Village Hexes. Over 1,300 "Village" hexes are depicted on the map by small blue circles containing two dots and annotated with the village's name in small print.
Town Hexes. Sixty-eight "Town" hexes are depicted on the map by multiple dark blue squares representing larger buildings, annotated with the town's name in larger print.
City Hexes. Six "City" hexes (Verviers, Liège, Namur, Dinant, Sedan and Charleville-Mézières) are depicted on the map by multiple black square shapes representing very large buildings and are annotated with the city's name in largest print.
Westwall Hexes. "Westwall" hexes may exist in any type of terrain, are depicted by large blue diamonds and represent concrete fortifications, barbed wire, tank ditches, minefields and other heavily engineered defenses along the German border (Cl).
Forest Hexes. "Forest" hexes are depicted by dark green coloring and represent dense groves of large, old growth, heavy trees (Cl).
Light Woods Hexes. "Light Woods" hexes are depicted by light green coloring and represent scattered woodlands and lighter stands of less mature trees (Cl).
Rough Terrain Hexes. "Rough" terrain hexes are depicted by splotchy light brown coloring and represent barren, rocky, scrub land that is fairly devoid of trees (Cl).
Clear Terrain Hexes. "Clear" terrain hexes are depicted by blank white coloring. They represent pasture land, crop land and large areas of cleared fields. They present no obstacle to movement and provide little to no cover or concealment (Cl).
Slope Hex Sides. A "slope" hex side is depicted by regularly spaced brown dots meandering between hexes. They depict significant changes in elevation and that may affect movement and combat (Cl).
River Hex Sides. "River" hex sides are depicted by single, solid blue meandering lines running between hexes. Meuse River hex sides are depicted by double, splotchy blue and white meandering lines running between hexes. They are the most significant obstacles to movement and impose the greatest restrictions on combat (Cl).
Roads. The road network printed on the map represents the improved roads in the Ardennes and is composed of "Highways" (red colored, paved roads six plus meters wide), "Roads" (black colored, paved roads, three plus meters wide) and "Secondary Roads or Tracks" (brown colored, gravel roads, five plus meters wide). Understanding and properly using the road network is critical to game success (Cl).
How The Game Is Played
The game may be played by two or more players if forces are divided, by mail (PBM), play by e-mail (PBEM) or even solitaire.
Setting Up the Game. Unfold the map sheets and join them along hex line 2800. Lightly taping the map sheets down or covering them with clear Plexiglas will help maintain the stability of the playing surface. The unit counters and game markers are then placed on the map per the Order Of Battle (OOB), paying careful attention to the details provided in the set-up tables. This is best done before game play.
Sequence Of Play
Hitler's Last Gamble is played in "Game Turns", each of which is divided into two "Player Turns". The length of each scenario is indicated on the Turn Record Track. The German plays each turn first, followed by the Allied player. The player whose player turn is in progress is called the "Phasing Player"; the other is the "Non-Phasing Player". A "Sequence Of Play" chart is provided to track a turn's progression. Each game turn progresses in eight phases as summarized below:
-
Supply Determination Phase. The phasing player determines the supply status of all enemy (non-phasing) units, placing appropriate game markers; then the phasing player determines the supply status of his or her own units, placing appropriate game markers.
-
Replacement Phase. The phasing player adds any replacements received on the Replacement Schedule to the Accumulated Replacement Track. He then spends replacement points to bring reduced units on the board back up to full strength or replace destroyed units.
-
Reserve Designation Phase. The phasing player may place Reserve markers on any of his supplied units that are not in enemy zones of control. Two types of reserves may be created – combat reserves or exploitation reserves.
-
Movement Phase. The phasing player determines which on-board units will conduct strategic movement (SM), placing or removing appropriate markers. He then checks to see if any reinforcements can arrive using SM. The phasing player then moves his units in any order desired using SM, road movement, march movement or normal movement. A unit's movement may be curtailed by its supply status or its proximity to enemy units. Units must stop moving when they enter enemy zones of control (ZOCs). Combat reserves may move up to one-half their movement points (fractions rounded up). Exploitation reserves may not move. Engineers may construct bridges by moving across river hex sides. The non-phasing player may attempt to blow bridges as the phasing player attempts to cross them.
-
Enemy Reaction Phase. The non-phasing player may move any of his reserves up to their full movement allowance. These units must have been designated in the previous player turn (except for units that begin the game in reserve).
-
Combat Phase. The phasing player may now attack enemy units that are adjacent to his own combat units. Artillery units may provide offensive fire support or defensive fire support or conduct barrage attacks or bridge interdiction fire within the limits of their range. Attack is always optional. The phasing player may make as many or as few attacks as desired and may conduct attacks in any order desired. Attacks are made using the following procedure:
a. Each attack is resolved individually with all attacking units combining their attack strength and comparing it to the combined defense strength of the units occupying the hex or hexes being attacked. Strengths on both sides may be modified by supply status, terrain, unit formation and artillery support.
Game Rules
1.0 Supply Phase
1.1 General Supply Determination
(B) Units must be in "General Supply" to use their full combat strength and movement allowance. Supply status for all purposes is checked during the supply determination phase and remains in effect at all times throughout the player turn regardless of movement or combat.
1.2 Tracing Supply
(B) To be in general supply, a unit must be able to trace a supply line back to a supply source. Supply lines are traced along a line of continuous hexes stretching from the unit to a supply source, counting no more than four hexes from the unit to a road hex, which must then not leave the road and run uninterrupted by enemy units, zones of control (ZOCs) or blown bridges back to a friendly supply source. The first four off-road hexes may transit any type of terrain but are blocked by hexes occupied by enemy units or their ZOCs. Supply lines may be traced through friendly units that are in enemy ZOCs (i.e. friendly units negate enemy ZOCs for supply determination).
1.3 Sources of Supply
1.3.1 Allied
(B, Adv) All roads of any type leading to any Liège or Namur city hex; leading off the north edge of the map at "Q"; or leading off the south edge of the map between "A" and "E" inclusive (B); or any Allied fuel depot (Adv).
1.3.2 German
(B) All roads of any type leading off the east map edge.
1.3.3
(B) Map edge hexes not containing roads are not considered supply sources.
1.4 Unsupplied Units
(B) Units that cannot trace a supply line to a valid supply source are "Unsupplied". Unsupplied units have their attack strength and movement allowance halved (fractions rounded up); their defense strength is unaffected. Unsupplied armor or panzer units have a movement allowance of "2". Unsupplied units may not enter strategic movement or make forced marches, build bridges, attempt to blow bridges, build improved positions or create road blocks. Mark all unsupplied units with Out Of Supply markers for the duration of that player's turn, removing them at the beginning of the next supply determination phase if their status changes.
1.5 Isolated Units
(B) Units are "Isolated" when they are unsupplied and:
1.5.1
(B) Are surrounded on all adjacent hexes by enemy units OR:
1.5.2
(B) Are surrounded on all adjacent hexes by enemy ZOCs and are more than two hexes away from any friendly combat unit in general supply.
1.5.3
(B) Isolated units may not attack and they defend at one half their defense strength (fractions rounded up). The movement of isolated units is reduced by one half (fractions rounded up); however, isolated armor units may not move at all.
1.5.4
(B) Mark all isolated units with Isolated markers for the duration of that player's turn, removing them at the next supply determination phase if their status changes.
1.6 Attack Supply Determination
(B) All units that belong to a division (see their designation) must be within four hexes of at least two other friendly units of the same division at the end of the movement phase to be in "Attack Supply". If there are fewer than three units of a division in play at any one time, this limitation does not apply. German Kampfgruppen (KG), Allied armored brigades, Combat Commands (CCA, CCB and CCR) and Allied Task Forces are exempt from this limitation. Some units, including engineer and artillery units, are independent and do not have a parent division. In these cases the units need only be within four hexes of any two other friendly units to be in attack supply (including commander units but excluding commando units (Cl)). These four hexes may traverse any type of terrain, enemy units and ZOCs. This limitation is in addition to the requirement of tracing a supply line. Effect: Units not in attack supply have their attack strength halved (fractions rounded up) for that particular turn. However, their defense and movement capabilities are unaffected and no other abilities are restricted by lack of attack supply alone (e.g. Combat Coordination, Tiger Tank advantages, Flak/AT effects on combined arms/armor superiority, Elite Troop Tenacity (Cl)). Unlike general supply determination, attack supply is determined at the moment of combat.
1.7 Combined Arms/Armor Superiority and Supply
(B) Armor and panzer units must be in general supply to confer the combined arms or armor superiority advantage for either attack or defense.
1.8 Special Supply Considerations
(B) Units are never lost through lack of supply alone; they may remain unsupplied or isolated indefinitely (although they are more likely to surrender).
1.9 Allied Fuel Dumps
(Adv) The five Allied fuel dump markers in the game represent three million gallons of gasoline for the U.S. First Army in the Liège-Namur sector and 50,000 gallons in the V Corps sector. The German player may try to capture this fuel to improve his own (and worsen the Allies) supply situation (Cl). The Allied player may also attempt to destroy or evacuate these dumps.
1.9.1 Fuel Dump Locations
(Adv) The fuel dumps at Liège (3002), Namur (4906), and Büllingen (1012) are fixed. The locations of the 5-point and 10-point fuel dumps (# 2 and #3) may be secretly positioned and recorded by the Allied player before the game begins on a road or secondary road, on or within two hexes of 1811 and 1910. The fuel dump near 1910 may be located in the town of Spa (2109).
1.9.2 Fuel Dump Capture
(Adv) When the German player moves a combat unit (except KG Von der Heydte) into a fuel dump hex, the Allied player informs him of the fact and places the appropriate fuel dump counter in the hex and the German player then immediately rolls one die on the Fuel Dump Demolition Table to determine its fate. If the fuel dump is "blown", the German unit ends its movement in the fuel dump hex, the result is recorded, and the counter is flipped over and removed from the map in the following Allied player's supply determination phase. If the fuel dump is "captured", the counter is left in place, the result recorded and the German unit may complete its movement. The KG Von der Heydte parachute unit may be used to search for Allied fuel dumps but may not be used to capture them by itself.
1.9.3 Effects of Captured Fuel on the Germans
(Adv) If the German player captures Allied fuel dumps, the use of the German Fuel Shortage Table is delayed one game turn for each point of fuel captured. If the German player has already begun rolling on the Fuel Shortage Table and then captures fuel, this action has no effect on the requirement to keep rolling on the table, it merely delays the game turns until the German player must roll two, three or four time on the table by the number of fuel points captured. Any German division that captures more than one point of fuel is not required to roll on the German Fuel Shortage Table for the remainder of the game. If German units have already entered the map in an unsupplied state before fuel was captured, they remain unsupplied. See the German OOB (Notes $$, !!, N5, N6).
1.9.4 Effects of Fuel Capture or Destruction on the Allies
(Adv) The effects of fuel capture or destruction on Allies begins the turn immediately following the fuel event, but not before the 19AM game turn. If seven (7) or more points of fuel have been blown or captured, then no U.S. units may enter strategic movement on their turn of entry on the north edge of the map. If eleven (11) or more points of fuel have been blown or captured, the above effect applies AND the movement allocation of U.S. armored units is reduced by one point. These effects do not extend to British units. If sixteen (16) or more units of fuel are blown or captured, the two above effects apply PLUS the strategic movement rate for U.S. infantry and engineer units is only tripled (x3) rather than quintupled (x5) for the remainder of the game.
1.9.5 Fuel Dump Evacuation
(Adv) If fuel dumps #2 and #3 have not been blown or captured by the end of the 19AM game turn, they are considered to be evacuated and are moved to hex 2903 where they remain for the remainder of the game, but are still subject to capture there. Fuel dumps #2 and #3 may not be evacuated if, and only if, they are surrounded by enemy units or their zones of control (ZOCs). They are evacuated when the German player no longer surrounds either dump. In such a situation, the German player may attempt their capture until they are evacuated. The fuel dumps in Liège (3002), Namur (4906) and Büllingen (1012) may not be moved or evacuated at any time.
1.10 German Fuel Shortages
(Adv) To simulate the critical German supply shortages that pervaded the latter part of their offensive, the German player must make additional general supply determination die rolls beginning on the 19AM game turn.
1.10.1 Procedure
(Adv) Roll two dice on the German Fuel Shortage Table after the German supply determination phase. Place Out Of Supply markers on all units of the corresponding division(s) for the remainder of that game turn, removing them at the beginning of the next German supply determination phase. Units so affected are unsupplied. Units that are yet not in play are unaffected. Units that arrive that turn as reinforcements do so in an unsupplied state.
1.10.2 Frequency
(Adv) From 19AM to 19PM; roll once each turn. From 20AM to 23PM; roll twice each turn. From 24AM to 25PM; roll three times each turn. From 26AM onward; roll four times each turn.
1.11 Air Resupply
(Adv) Both the Allied and German players may attempt to "Air Resupply" friendly units that are isolated.
1.11.1 Allied
(Adv) Allied Air Resupply is executed prior to the German supply determination phase on clear weather AM turns when the C-47 air unit is available. The Allied player may place this C-47 air unit on any clear, rough, light woods, city, or town hex. If he wishes, the Allied player may also place one FB unit to escort the C47's. The German player may use up to one available FB aircraft unit to thwart any unescorted resupply attempt. The supply status of Allied units in and adjacent to that hex changes from isolated to unsupplied (they defend at full strength) and surrender determination clock is reset to zero. Air resupply may not change unsupplied units to general supply.
1.11.2 German
(Adv) On any PM (night) turn it is available, the Ju-88 unit may be used to air resupply any single hex of isolated German units. The procedure is the same as Allied air resupply except a die roll is required to determine its success; a die roll of 1-3 = success, 4-6 = failure. If successful, all German units in the hex become unsupplied for that turn and the surrender determination clock resets to zero. When used for air resupply, the Ju-88 may not be used for any other air mission that turn.
1.12 Surrender
(Adv) Units that are surrounded and cut off from their sources of supply (ammunition, food, fuel, etc.) may eventually "Surrender", depending on their training and tenacity. Beginning with the third consecutive game turn of a unit's or stack of units' isolation, the enemy player rolls for their surrender in his supply determination phase. One die is rolled for each hex of isolated units according to their type on the Surrender Table. The unit least likely to surrender determines whether any other units in the hex will surrender. This process is repeated for each consecutive game turn that a unit or stack of units is isolated until they are brought back to a non-isolated state (i.e. out of supply or general supply, either through the breakthrough of friendly ground units, air resupply, or the withdrawal or destruction of enemy units (Cl)). If isolated units receive supply, their three consecutive turn surrender clock resets to zero. Players should keep track of which units are isolated on a piece of paper. Units that surrender may not be replaced.
2.0 Replacement Phase
General. (B) Both players receive "Replacements" during the game. Replacements can be used to rebuild reduced units by reorganizing or refitting them to full strength; or they can be used to replace units that have been destroyed.
2.1 Rebuilding Reduced Units
(B) Reduced infantry units may be "reorganized" and reduced armor units may be "refitted" during the owning player's replacement phase. It costs one replacement point of the appropriate type to restore any reduced unit to full strength. Units may not be reorganized or refitted if they are unsupplied, isolated or adjacent to enemy units. Independent units (not part of a division) may be reorganized or refitted. Rebuilt units may move normally in their succeeding movement phase.
2.2 Replacing Destroyed Units
(B) Eliminated (destroyed) units may be "replaced" (i.e. brought back onto the board), if at least one other unit of the eliminated unit's division is still on the map. It costs one replacement point of the appropriate type to replace a destroyed unit. Replaced units must be brought onto the board at reduced strength (i.e. a player may not spend two replacement points to bring a previously destroyed unit onto the board at full strength). Such replaced units are placed in the nearest friendly controlled town or city (Cl) to one of the units of the parent division. Control of the town or city is defined by the last side to occupy it; if no unit has passed through it during the game, control is assumed to be Allied if it is west of the Westwall and German if it is east of the Westwall. The selected town or city must be at least four hexes away from the nearest enemy unit. Once on the map, such replaced units may be brought up to full strength in subsequent replacement phases. Units that are isolated when destroyed or surrender may never be replaced. Independent (non-divisional) units that are destroyed may never be replaced. Place these units in a separate, "permanently destroyed" pile.
2.3 Replacement Accumulation
(B) Replacements are accumulated by type; armor or infantry. Armor replacement points may be used to refit or replace armor or panzer units. Infantry replacement points may be used to reorganize or replace infantry units. Divisional restrictions apply.
2.4 Scheduled and Non-Scheduled Replacements
2.4.1 Scheduled Replacements
(B) A number of "scheduled" replacement points are available throughout the game that represent soldiers and vehicles returning to their units from a temporary absence (e.g. home leave, convalescence, training, repairs etc.) and the "combing out" of rear area units to bolster front line strength. The Germans also had brought up numerous "Marche" replacement transfer battalions made up of men going through initial combat training. (Cl) See the Turn Record Track and the Replacement Schedule for the type, amount and arrival time of these scheduled replacements.
2.4.2 Non-Scheduled Replacements
(Opt) A number of "non-scheduled" replacement points also became available during periods of heavy combat that represent fragments of units that retired from battle and were then subsequently folded into other units such as MIAs, the walking wounded and "SNAFU" units. (Cl)
2.4.2.1 Unit Reorganization
(Opt) For every three steps of infantry type units lost while defending, one infantry replacement point is gained. For every four steps of infantry type units lost while attacking, one infantry replacement point is gained. Steps lost from isolated units and air attacks do not count toward this increase. Keep a record of infantry reorganization points received on the Unit Reorganization Track of the Replacement Schedule.
2.4.2.2 Tank Recovery and Repair
(Opt) For every five steps of armor type units lost while defending, one armor replacement point is gained. For every three steps of armor type units lost while attacking, one armor replacement point is gained. Steps lost from isolated units and air attacks do not count toward this increase. Keep a record of armor refit points received on the Unit Reorganization Track of the Replacement Schedule.
2.5 Replacement Restrictions
(B) Artillery, engineer, anti-tank, flak, commando, commander, Ranger, British, French and Belgium units, KG Von der Heydte and Panzer Brigade 150 may never be reorganized, refitted or replaced. Non-scheduled replacement points may not be used until the game turn after they are gained.
3.0 Reserve Designation Phase
3.1 General
(B) During the "Reserve Designation Phase", the phasing player may place a Reserve marker on any unit in general supply that is not adjacent to an enemy combat unit or in strategic movement. There are two types of reserves: combat reserves and exploitation reserves. As an aid to game play, it is recommended that the Reserve markers for these units be oriented right-side up for exploitation reserves and sideways for combat reserves to differentiate them. See Rule 7.0 (Exploitation Phase) for the rules governing reserve movement and combat.
3.2 Reserve Restrictions
(B) All units that start the game in reserve are exploitation reserves (designated by parentheses ( ) around their start hex, see the German and Allied OOB Note (R)). Unsupplied, isolated, fatigued or disorganized units may not be placed in reserve. Artillery, engineer, anti-tank, flak, commando, and commander units may never be placed in reserve. Units arriving as reinforcements may not be placed in reserve on their turn of entry. No more than three units (or KG, TF) may be designated as reserves from any one division. Units in reserve may not enter or use strategic movement or make forced marches but they may conduct road movement and march movement. Exploitation reserves that move for any reason are immediately taken out of reserve status. Units in reserve that have an enemy unit move adjacent to them are immediately taken out of reserve status whether or not it exerts a ZOC (exception 9.1.3). Reserve units may not build improved positions (IP), attempt to blow bridges or build road blocks. The number of reserve markers does not limit the number of reserves that may be so disignated.
4.0 Movement Phase
4.1 General
(B) In the "Movement Phase" the phasing player may move as few or as many units as desired. Units may be moved in any direction or combination of directions up to the limit of their movement allowance. Movement allowances cannot be transferred from one unit to another or accumulated from one turn to another. The number of movement points expended by a unit may never exceed its movement allowance. Units may move over and stack on top of other friendly units. Each unit or stack of units is moved through its entire movement before another unit or stack of units may be moved. Movement from hex to hex must be consecutive (i.e. units may not skip hexes). A friendly unit may never enter a hex occupied by an enemy unit (exception, commandos). Movement may not take place out of sequence. Units may only move during the phasing player's movement phase or exploitation phase, during the non-phasing player's reaction phase or by either player during a retreat or advance after combat (Cl). Units that are unsupplied or isolated are restricted in their movement capabilities; see the rules on supply determination. Regardless of reductions to movement ability, all units may move at least one hex unless it would involve moving directly from one enemy ZOC to another (exception; German Night Infiltration, Night Operations) or cross a hex side that is prohibited for that type of unit.
4.2 Terrain Effects on Movement
(B) Where there are mixed terrain types in one hex (e.g. 2418), use the most costly type of terrain for the purposes of movement.
4.2.1 Ground Conditions
(B) There are four ground conditions in the game; normal, mud, frozen and heavy snow.
4.2.1.1 Normal Ground Conditions
(B) "Normal" ground conditions have no effect on movement. Use the normal ground movement point costs on the Terrain Effects Chart (TEC).
4.2.1.2 Mud Ground Conditions
(B) "Mud" ground conditions prevail between the 18AM – 19PM game turns or when determined on the Uncertain Weather Table (Opt). All units utilize the mud column on the Terrain Effects Chart.
4.2.1.3 Freeze Ground Conditions
(B) "Frozen" ground conditions prevail between the 23AM and 28AM game turns or when determined on the Uncertain Weather Table (Opt). All units utilize the Frozen column on the Terrain Effects Chart.
4.2.1.4 Heavy Snow Conditions
Printed as "1.4" in the source; numbered 4.2.1.4 here to follow its parent paragraph.
(B) "Heavy Snow" ground conditions prevail on and after the 28PM game turn or as determined on the Uncertain Weather Table (Opt). All units utilize the Frozen column on the Terrain Effects Chart. Furthermore, advance after combat is limited to a maximum of one hex regardless of unit type or combat result.
4.2.2 Town, City Movement
(B) The movement point cost to enter a town or city hex is one movement point; not one movement point above the other terrain cost. This does not apply to villages. Units moving through towns, cities or villages on roads of any type do so at the road movement rate.
4.2.3 Bridge Hex Side Movement
(B) Every type of unit (Cl) may only benefit from bridges if they are able to meet the requirements for road movement (4.6). They do so at the road movement rate.
4.2.4 River and Ford Hex Side Movement
(B) Armor, artillery, rocket launcher, flak and anti-tank units may only cross river hex sides at an intact bridge or ford. (Cl) Crossing a ford hex side costs these units their movement allowance. German Mk V, Mk VI, JgV, and Elephant units (types 2,3,5,and 6) may not cross rivers at fords. Infantry and armored infantry (panzer grenadier) units may move across Meuse River hexes in the same way they cross river hex sides, if and only if, the hex they cross from contains a friendly engineer unit.
4.2.5 Slope Hex Side Movement
(B) Motorized units pay one additional movement point to cross a slope hex side unless crossing it along a road of any type. Armor units may not cross slope hex sides into forest or light woods hexes except along roads of any type. Armored infantry and panzer grenadier units cross slope hex sides as if they were regular infantry (i.e. non-motorized).
4.2.6 Westwall Movement
(B) Armored infantry, panzer grenadier and engineer units cross Westwall hexs as if they were non-motorized (they pay the terrain cost of the other terrain in the hex).
4.3 Movement by Unit Type
(B) For the purposes of moving through the map terrain, there are two types of units – motorized and non-motorized. Motorized types include all units with an armor silhouette; all armored infantry and panzer grenadiers; all artillery, rocket launcher, flak and anti-tank units; all engineer units and all commando and commander units. All American engineers are motorized. German engineers with 6 movement points are motorized; those with 5 movement points are non-motorized. German artillery and rocket launcher units with 5 or 3 movement points are both motorized and differ only in the amount and efficiency of the motor transport available to haul the guns, ammunition and fuel required by these large artillery formations (Cl). Motorized and non-motorized units pay differing movement point costs for different terrain types. Units may have their movement allowance reduced by terrain, the presence of enemy units or supply status. Units may increase their movement capabilities by using strategic movement (SM), road movement or march movement. See the Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) for a complete summary.
4.3.1 German Kampfgruppen (KG) Formation
(Adv) German Kampgruppen (plural) are formed during movement as follows:
4.3.1.1 Same KG Identifier
(Adv) When the German player moves two units with the same KG identifier into the same hex, they are considered to be one unit of regimental size for stacking purposes and are moved as such until the owning player separates them. When there are two units on the map with the same KG identifier, they may only build a Kampfgruppe (singular) with each other. If one of them has been destroyed, this limitation ceases.
4.3.1.2 One or No KG Identifier
(Adv) Any German panzer grenadier regiment or a regular infantry regiment with a KG designation may "attach" an armor unit (tank, assault gun, Recon Bn, etc.) as part of its KG. They are formed as described above and remain a single KG until separated by the owning player. Panzer grenadier regiments that do not have KG identifiers may form a KG with an armor unit from the same division or an independent armor unit with no division affiliation. Two battalion sized armor units that are part of the same division and do not have different KG Identifiers may form a KG. Two independent battalion sized armor units that do not have a division affiliation may not form a KG (Cl.). It is possible to change the composition of KGs when other friendly units are in the hex, subject to affiliation and size restrictions.
4.3.1.3 German KG Size
(Adv) German KGs may never be larger than a regiment with a battalion. They are always made up of two units, at least one of which must be an armor unit.
4.3.1.4 German KG Movement
(Adv) German KGs move as a single unit even though they are always composed of two separate units. They move at the movement rate of the slower of the two and are subject to the terrain restrictions that may affect the armor portion of the unit. KGs exert a Provisional ZOC.
4.3.2 Allied Task Force (TF) Formation
(Adv) Besides those single unit Combat Commands that have Task Force designations, the Allied player may form multi-unit "Task Forces" (TF) within the following divisions: U.S. 2nd Armored Division (2Arm), 3rd Armored Division (3Arm) and the British Guards Armored Division (GA). Allied Task Forces are formed identically to German Kampfgruppen and consist of either the armored infantry regiment with an armor battalion OR two 4-3-7 armor battalions form the same parent division.
4.3.2.1 Allied Task Force Movement
(Adv) Allied TF's move as a single unit even though they are always composed of two separate units. They move at the movement rate of the slower of the two and are subject to the terrain restrictions that may affect the armor portion of the unit. Allied TFs exert a Provisional ZOC.
4.3.3 Commando Movement
(Adv) German commandos are fully motorized but may move freely through friendly units at the road movement rate and are unaffected by enemy ZOCs for the purposes of movement. At the end of each commando unit's movement, roll one die on the Commando Elimination Table to determine its continued operation. If the number of Allied ZOCs entered that turn is greater than the die roll, the commando is captured and removed from the game. Subtract "1" from the die roll for each game turn after 16 PM (Cl). Beginning on the 19AM game turn, commandos are automatically captured if they enter an enemy ZOC unless they are stacked with a friendly unit, in which case they are unaffected. The German player may "attach" a commando unit to a Kampfgruppe. It is considered part of the Kampfgruppe for all movement purposes until the commando unit moves away from its KG.
4.3.3.1 Commando Traffic Mis-direction
(Adv) German commandos may attempt to deceive moving Allied units through "Traffic Mis-direction". Commando units have no ZOC of their own nor do they prevent Allied units from entering their hex. However, if an Allied unit enters a road hex of any type occupied by a commando unit, the Allied player must pause its move and roll a die to determine if it has been mis-directed. A result of "1-2" allows the German player to move and then halt the Allied unit(s) along the road up to 3 hexes from whence it came. A result of "3-6" has no effect and the Allied player may complete the unit's movement normally. From the 16PM to 17PM game turns, a result of "6" eliminates the commando unit. From the 18PM game turn onward, a result of "5-6" eliminates the commando unit. No traffic mis-direction die roll has any effect on any other die roll; all Allied units moving through a commando unit must roll separately.
4.4 Zones Of Control (ZOCs)
(B) Some units in the game exert a "Zone Of Control" (ZOC). ZOCs represent the combat influence and/or partial occupation of the hexes in and around a unit's location (Cl). A ZOC consists of the six hexes adjacent to the unit's location and MAY extend into all types of terrain except that ZOCs never extend across unbridged or un-forded Meuse River hex sides. A ZOC extends into hexes occupied by enemy units except for the purposes of determining supply lines or retreat paths. Supply status does not affect ZOCs (i.e. unsupplied and isolated units that would normally exert a ZOC still exert them). A ZOC MAY affect the movement of both friendly and enemy units depending on the type and size of unit that exerts it, and may best be understood as the unit exerting either a Full ZOC, a Provisional ZOC or No ZOC (Cl).
4.4.1 Full ZOC
(B) A "Full ZOC" extends into all types of terrain except across unbridged, unforded Meuse River hex sides. Only the following units have Full ZOCs: Full or reduced strength infantry units of any type of regimental or brigade size.
4.4.2 Provisional ZOCs
(B) "Provisional ZOCs" do not extend into forest hexes except along roads of any type. The term "along" means that the road connects the hex the unit occupies and the hex it exerts a ZOC into (Cl). The following units exert Provisional ZOCs: Full or reduced strength infantry units of any type of battalion size; AND full or reduced strength armored or engineer regiments or brigades, German Kampfgruppen (including Panzer Brigade 150 (Cl)), Allied Combat Commands and Allied Task Forces of regimental or brigade size.
4.4.3 No ZOC
(B) The following units exert "NO ZOC": Armor, panzer and engineer units of battalion-size; and all artillery, rocket launcher, flak, anti-tank, commando, and commander units of any size (Cl).
4.4.4 ZOC Effects on Movement
(B) Units must stop as soon as they enter a Full or Provisional enemy ZOC. Units may not move from a Full or Provisional enemy ZOC directly into another Full or Provisional enemy ZOC. Rather, they may withdraw from an enemy ZOC into a non-enemy controlled hex at the beginning of their movement and then reenter an enemy ZOC later in their movement if desired (exception; German Night Infiltration, Night Operations).
4.4.4.1 German Night Infiltration
(B) On the 16PM game turn, Allied Full ZOCs do not extend into forest hexes except along roads of any type (Cl). This means, in essence, that all Allied units that normally exert ZOCs exert only Provisional ZOCs on the 16 PM turn. German units executing night infiltration may not conduct a forced march in the same movement phase. Players should agree to use this or Rule 4.4.4.2 (Night Operations, Adv).
4.4.4.2 Night Operations
(Adv) On all PM (night) turns between 16-29DEC, Allied ZOCs of any type do not extend into forest hexes, except along roads of any type (Cl). This means, in essence, that all Allied units that exert ZOCs exert only Provisional ZOCs on PM game turns between 16-29DEC. German units executing night operations may not conduct a forced march in the same movement phase.
4.4.4.3 Disengagement
(Adv) To more realistically portray the difficulty of disengaging from enemy contact; on AM turns (only), all non-armor / non-panzer units must spend one additional movement point to exit an enemy ZOC, above and beyond the terrain cost of the first hex entered. Note that this rule does not allow units to move from one enemy ZOC directly into another.
4.4.4.4 Road Space
(Opt) (When this rule is used, Special Rule 9.1.6 (German Traffic Jams) is not in force). Traffic jams, so commonly described as decisively influencing the Ardennes battle, resulted from the fact that military formations, (particularly motorized ones) took up a large amount of road space. Both sides suffered from this problem. Rule: The ZOCs of both enemy and friendly units that exert them negate the beneficial effects of road movement for any friendly unit moving adjacent to and over them, thereby forcing the moving unit to pay the full terrain cost of the hex entered (it must use normal movement). Also, the presence of any friendly unit precludes the road movement rate for any other friendly unit (exceptions: commandos, commanders, and 8.1.1). Finally, any type of unit may use an intact bridge to move into a bridgehead (i.e. a vacant hex with an intact bridge that is covered by friendly ZOCs) at the normal terrain cost for that hex (Cl). The prohibition of moving directly from one enemy ZOC to another still applies (exception: retreats). This optional rule more than any other, reflects the difficulty of maneuvering large combat formations, particularly motorized ones, in the Ardennes.
4.4.4.5 Negation of enemy ZOCs
(B) Friendly units negate enemy ZOCs of any type for the purposes of tracing supply lines and for conducting retreats after combat.
4.5 Strategic Movement (SM)
4.5.1 Entering Strategic Movement
(B) A unit may enter "Strategic Movement" (SM) only if it is in general supply; begins its movement in a road of any type; is the only unit in the hex (exception; multi-unit Kampfgruppen and Allied Task Forces (Cl)); and is not closer than three hexes to the nearest enemy unit. Units that have fatigued markers placed due to a forced march on a PM turn may not enter SM on the following AM turn. All units must spend one-half of their movement points (fractions rounded up) to enter SM. Allied regular, parachute, glider and Ranger infantry units must expend three movement points prior to entering SM (simulating the time required to entruck these units), even when entering the game as reinforcements. Motorized units entering the game as reinforcements have the option of entering the game in SM without paying this cost. As a game aid, place downward facing SM ("arrow") markers on all units that spend MP entering SM and sideways facing for units that do not.
4.5.2 Strategic Movement Advantages
(B) Motorized units in SM have their movement allowance tripled (X3). Non-motorized units in SM have their movement allowance doubled (X2). Allied infantry, parachute, glider, Ranger and engineer units have their movement allowance increased five-fold (X5).
4.5.3 Strategic Movement Limitations
(B) Units in SM may not move off of road hexes (of any type). If forced to do so as a result of combat, they are immediately removed from SM. Units in SM have No ZOCs and their defense strength is halved (fractions rounded up). Slope and river hex sides may not be crossed except on roads of any type or intact bridges. Units in SM may never move over other friendly units (exception: commander and commando units (Cl)). Units in SM may never move adjacent to other friendly units that are also in SM along the same road. Units in SM may not move closer than three hexes to any enemy unit at any time in the movement phase (including the start and end of the segment). To measure this three hex distance, count the moving unit's hex (exclusive) and enemy unit's hex (inclusive). Also see paragraph 4.11 (Stacking Limitations).
4.5.4 Reinforcements and Strategic Movement
(B) Units that enter the game as reinforcements may do so in SM prior to entering the board but must stay in SM until the beginning of the owning player's movement phase on the following game turn.
4.5.5 Leaving Strategic Movement
(B) Units that are unsupplied, isolated or disorganized at the beginning of their player turn must leave SM in the supply determination phase. Supplied units that begin their turn in an enemy ZOC or within three hexes of an enemy unit must leave SM during the SM determination portion of the movement phase. Units may voluntarily leave SM before they move by removing their SM marker during the movement phase. Units that undergo air attack or barrage attack (Cl) are immediately removed from SM regardless of the outcome of the attack unless the air attack was negated by a friendly air mission. There is no movement point cost to leave SM.
4.6 Road Movement
4.6.1 Requirements for Road Movement
(B) The "Track, Road and Highway" lines of the Terrain Effects Chart assess lower movement point costs for units moving along roads, secondary roads (tracks) and highways if the following conditions are met:
-
The movement must be made through contiguous road, secondary road (track) or highway hexes.
-
Some hexes contain two different non-linked roads (e.g. 2324). Units may use road movement to switch roads in such hexes but must pay the full terrain cost of the hex to do so.
-
Motorized units cannot enter a hex that contains another motorized unit (exception, 8.1.1 Bridge Construction).
Motorized units may use the road movement rate when moving through hexes containing friendly non-motorized units. Non-motorized units may use the road movement rate when moving through hexes containing any friendly units. Armored infantry and panzer grenadier units are considered motorized for the purposes of road movement. Because armored / armored infantry and panzer / panzer grenadier doctrine and training were so closely aligned (Cl), the following exception applies: Armored or panzer units may not move through armored infantry or panzer grenadier units at the road movement rate. However, armored infantry or panzer grenadier units may move through armored or panzer units at the road movement rate. Road movement and normal movement may be combined in a single movement phase by any unit. Movement point fractions are lost when transferring from highway to road, secondary road or non-road hexes and vice versa.
4.7 March Movement
(B) Any non-armor or non-panzer unit that is not adjacent to an enemy unit at any time during a game turn may use "March Movement" to reflect the use of the many unimproved roads and trails that laced the Ardennes terrain. With march movement, the cost of all off-road terrain is reduced by one movement point per hex, but the cost of entering a hex may never be less than one movement point. March movement has no cost associated with its use and is only restricted by the presence of enemy units. Armor and panzer units may use march movement only during frozen ground conditions. No unit may use march movement during heavy snow ground conditions.
4.8 Normal Movement
(B) Units unable to meet any of the above conditions must pay the full or "Normal Movement" cost for the terrain they enter. Normal movement, march movement and road movement may be combined in a single movement phase.
4.9 Force March and Unit Fatigue
(Opt) (This optional rule should only be used in conjunction with Optional Rule 4.4.4.4, (Road Space)). Night turns in the game are 16 hours in length. Since all units required rest, the movement rate of all units in the game was reduced to one-half their normal (real-world) value. However, it was possible for military formations to "Force March" at night at the price of catching up on sleep later. Effect: On PM (night) game turns during the owning player's movement phase, armor, reconnaissance and infantry (of any type) units that are in general supply may perform forced marches by expending up to double their movement points for that turn using regular and/or road movement (but not march or strategic movement (exception: Rule 9.1.7)). Units may not force march if they are in reserve or are disorganized, and engineer units may not force march at all. Place Fatigue markers on all force marching units. Units with fatigued markers are halved in attack strength on the AM turn following a forced march but their defense strength is unaffected. They may not move or attack at all in the following PM game turn but their defense strength is unaffected. Units that force march may not enter strategic movement on the following AM turn. There is no limit to the number of units that may force march in a particular night turn. Fatigue markers are removed at the beginning of the owning player's following PM (night) movement phase before any new fatigue markers are placed.
4.10 Combining Movement
(B) Several movement modes may be combined by different unit types in the enemy reaction phase, movement phase and exploitation phase. See the Movement Combination Table for an easy to read summary. (Cl)
4.11 Stacking Limitations
(B) No more than three regiment or brigade-sized units may ever occupy a given hex at any one time regardless of unit type, strength or number of steps. For the purposes of stacking, company-sized units count as one-half a battalion-sized unit and battalion-sized units count as one-half of a regimental or brigade-sized unit. Unless otherwise noted, armored units with no size designation are battalion-sized units. Artillery corps and Panzer Brigade 150 (Cl) are brigade-sized units. Commando and commander units do not count toward stacking limits. Stacking limits may not be exceeded at any time. Units cannot be forced to exceed stacking limits due to combat retreats, they must lose steps instead. German Panzer Brigade 150 may not stack with other friendly units at any time and if forced to do so during a retreat, must lose steps instead.
4.11.1 Movement of Stacks
(B) Units may be moved as stacks of units as long as they do not use the road movement rate (exception; German Kampfgruppen and Allied Task Forces). Units may split off from stacks and continue moving after lower movement point value units exhaust their movement allowance. Stacks may be broken up, combined and reassembled at any point during movement or retreat after combat as long as the three regiment (or equivalent) stacking limit is not exceeded.
4.11.2 Inter-Allied Stacking
(B) British, French and U.S. units may not stack together unless forced to do so during retreats. In such cases the units must separate at the earliest opportunity.
4.11.3 Game Marker Effects on Stacking
(B) Supply Status, Improved Position, Fatigued, Bridge or Reserve markers have no effect on stacking. Strategic Movement markers allow only one unit (or KG/TF) to occupy a hex at a time.
4.12 Reinforcements
4.12.1
(B) During an owning player's movement phase, "Reinforcements" must enter the game at specific entry locations per their arrival turn on the Turn Record Track, the OOB tables, and the data printed on the units themselves. Reinforcements may enter on road or non-road hexes between designated entry roads. All reinforcements enter normally, counting the first hex they enter as their first hex of movement. Units may enter in SM if desired although Allied infantry that do so must pay three movement points to enter SM prior to entering the map.
4.12.2 Withholding Reinforcements and Blocked Entry
(B) Neither player may voluntarily withhold reinforcements. They must enter the game on the turn and location of their scheduled entry unless those hexes are blocked by enemy units. Entry hexes are only blocked by physical occupation (not ZOCs) or if German units have exited the map from those road hexes. If, and only if, all scheduled entry hexes are blocked, the reinforcing unit(s) must enter on the following game turn (i.e. entry is delayed one turn) at the next unblocked entry hex that is not adjacent to an enemy combat unit (to the west for Allied Units, to the north and south for German units) (Cl).
4.12.3 Exiting Units from the Map
(B) The German player (only) may exit his units off the map and force the Allied player to withhold reinforcements from entering the game. German units may only exit at Allied entry road hexes (of any type) between F-N inclusive. They may not exit off the map between hexes Q-O inclusive, A-E inclusive or hexes 0101 or 0501.
4.12.3.1 Movement Cost to Exit
(B) A unit exiting the map may enter an imaginary off-map hex by expending movement points equal to the cost of the hex it is leaving. Exiting units may use the road movement rate to exit the map.
4.12.3.2 State of Exited Units
(B) Units must be in general supply to exit the map. Exited units are removed from play and may not return to the game. They are not considered destroyed or eliminated and may not be replaced. A unit may exit a road entry hex regardless of how many units exited from the same road hex.
4.12.3.3 Effects of Exited Units
(B) Exited units may count toward German victory conditions; see Rule 10. For every attack strength point of a supplied German unit that exits off the north or west edges of the map between entry hexes "I" and "N", the Allied player must hold off at least triple this number of attack strength points of reinforcements from that respective side of the map as soon as possible. For every attack strength point of a supplied German unit that exits off the west or south edges of the map between entry hexes "F-H", the Allied player must hold off at least equal this number in attack strength points of reinforcements from that respective side of the map as soon as possible. The barrage strength of exited German artillery units do not count against the attack strength of Allied units that must be held off. Allied reinforcements may not enter the map on hexes that the German player has exited units from. The Allied player may not claim a road hex exiting the map edge as a supply source if the German player has exited units from that road hex.
4.12.3.4 Allied Units "Held Off"
(B) Allied units that are "held off" may be any type of combat unit. Both the exited German units and the held off Allied units may not enter the map for the remainder of the game. If the Allied player has no further reinforcements coming onto the map from the side which the German player exits, he must hold off reinforcing units from another side of the map at the earliest opportunity. If the Allied player has no units to hold off in the current turn, then he or she must hold off units in the order of their projected appearance to satisfy the described conditions.
4.13 Restricted Units
(B) The arrival and movement of some U.S/Belgian and British/French reinforcements is "restricted" until certain game conditions are met or they are "released". (Sub-paragraph numbers in this section are printed as they appear in the source.)
4.13.1 Restrictions / Release of U.S./Belgian Units
(B)
- 4.13.2.1 (B) Allied conditional reserves. See Rule 9.1.3 and the Allied OOB, Notes C1, C2, C3.
- 4.13.1.2 (B) Allied reinforcements. See Allied OOB, Notes (AR), N1, N2, N3, N4, and ##.
4.13.2 Release of British/French Units
(B) See Allied OOB, Notes (BR), N5, N6, N7, N8 and ##.
4.13.3 Release of German Units
(Opt) See German OOB, Note N11.
4.13.4 Withdrawing Units
(B) Certain units are withdrawn from play during the game and move through and exit the map from a valid supply source (Cl). They may not be replaced or returned to play and there is no penalty if they have already been destroyed. See the German and Allied OOB, Note WD.
5.0 Enemy Reaction Phase
5.1 General
(B) During the Enemy "Reaction Phase", the non-phasing player may move his exploitation reserves up to their full movement allowance.
5.2 Reaction Restrictions
(B) Exploitation reserves moving in the reaction phase must be in general supply and must not begin the reaction phase adjacent to an enemy unit. Units in reserve may conduct normal, road movement and march movement but may not use strategic movement or make forced marches. As soon as they move in the reaction phase, they are taken out of reserve status and may not attack in the reaction phase (Cl).
6.0 Combat Phase
(B) During the "Combat Phase" any of the phasing player's units that are adjacent to enemy units may attack them at the owning player's discretion. It is also possible to attack non-adjacent enemy units with artillery. Any single unit may only make one attack in a single combat phase and no single enemy unit may be attacked more than once in a single combat phase. The phasing player is the attacker; the non-phasing player is the defender. The phasing player may make as many or as few attacks as desired, resolving the battles one at a time in any order desired. Attack is always voluntary.
6.1 Multi-Unit/Multi-Hex Combat
(B) When several units attack several other defending units, the attacker decides how to resolve the combat provided that: 1) every attacking unit is adjacent to every defending unit that it attacks (exception: Artillery) and 2) when one or more units attack one defending unit (or hex of defending units), the attack strength of all attacking units must be combined into a single attack strength. The attacker must attack all units stacked in one hex as a single combined defense strength. However, attacking units stacked in a single hex may make separate attacks out of that hex on different adjacent defending units. The combat strength of a single unit (attack or defense) is unitary and may never be divided among separate battles.
6.1.1 Attack and Defense Frontage
(B) All units that can stack into a hex are eligible to defend that hex. Similarly, all units that can stack in a hex may attack out of that hex.
6.2 Terrain Effects on Combat
(B) Each type of terrain on the map has an appropriate odds column on the Combat Results Table (CRT). The terrain column used is based on the type of terrain the defending unit occupies. If more than one hex of enemy units is being attacked, the type most advantageous to the defender is used. If there is more than one type of terrain in the hex (e.g. 2211), the type most advantageous to the defender is used.
6.2.1 Village Hexes
(B) Units defending a village hex may choose to take a step loss rather than retreat.
6.2.2 Town Hexes
(B) All units defending in towns receive a defensive combat odd shift to the left (e.g. a 2-1 attack becomes a 1-1 attack). Exception: No defensive odds shift is received if an improved position (IP) has been constructed in the town, although the defense strength of the unit(s) defending in an IP is doubled. Units defending a town hex may choose to take a step loss rather than retreat.
6.2.3 City Hexes
(B) All units defending in city hexes have their defense strength doubled. Armor or panzer units have their attack strength halved (fractions rounded up) when attacking into city hexes unless the attack is conducted along a road or highway (not along a secondary road/track). Each unit's attack strength is individually halved (fractions rounded up) before all attacking units' attack strengths are combined. Units defending a city hex may choose to take a step loss rather than retreat.
6.2.3.1
(Adv) The German Sturmtiger (15A/1001) and Sturmpanzer (6PzA/217) armored units may fire like artillery and have a range of two hexes. Their attack strength is doubled when attacking town or city hexes with friendly infantry units of any type.
6.2.4 Westwall Hexes
(B) All units defending in Westwall hexes have their defense strength doubled. German units (only) defending in Westwall hexes receive an additional defensive combat odd shift to the left (a 2-1 attack becomes a 1-1 attack). Armor or panzer units attack into Westwall hexes at one-half their normal strength (fractions rounded up) regardless of the presence of roads, tracks or highways. Units defending a Westwall hex may choose to take a step loss rather than retreat.
6.2.5 Forest Hexes
(B) Armor or panzer units have their attack strength halved (fractions rounded up) when attacking into forest hexes unless the attack is conducted along a road or highway (not along a secondary road/track). Each unit's attack strength is individually halved before all units' attack strengths are combined. (Adv) Attacking armor units may claim a combined arms or armor superiority advantage if one or more of the participating armor units is attacking into a forest hex along a road or highway (not along a secondary road/track). Defending armor units may not claim a combined arms or armor superiority advantage if they occupy a forest hex, except from attacks along roads or highways (not along secondary roads/tracks). (Cl)
6.2.6 Light Woods Hexes
(B) These have no additional effect on combat beyond their values in the CRT.
6.2.7 Rough Terrain Hexes
(B) These have no additional effect on combat beyond their values in the CRT.
6.2.8 Clear Terrain Hexes
(B) Armor or panzer units attacking non-armor or non-panzer enemy units in clear terrain have their attack strength doubled (fractions rounded up) unless the defending units include flak, anti-tank or engineer units. Armor and panzer units defending in clear terrain hexes have their defense strength doubled (fractions rounded up) unless attacked by other armored units that can claim armor superiority. Non-armor or non-panzer units in clear terrain hexes defend at one-half strength (fractions rounded up) unless they are (or are stacked with) flak, anti-tank or engineer units. City, town and Westwall hexes retain their defensive characteristics if situated in otherwise clear terrain.
6.2.9 Slope Hex Sides
(B) Armor or panzer units always have their attack strength halved (fractions rounded up) when attacking UP slope hex sides. There is no additional effect for attacks across hex sides with more than one slope contour (e.g. hex 1506). Each unit's attack strength is individually halved before all attacking units' attack strengths are combined.
6.2.10 River Hex Sides
(B) All units have their attack strength halved (fractions rounded up) when attacking across river or Meuse River hex sides. Each unit's attack strength is individually halved before all attacking units' attack strengths are combined. Armored units may claim a combined arms or armor superiority advantage when attacking over an intact bridge. Also see 8.1.2.
6.3 Battle Resolution Procedure
(B) The following steps are used to resolve individual battles one at a time:
Step 1: Calculate Attack and Defense Strengths. (B) The total attack strength is equal to the modified, combined attack strength of all attacking units. Isolated and disorganized units may not attack, fatigued unit attacks are limited (see 4.9 (Opt)). The total defense strength is the modified combined defense strength of all units in the hex. Combat strengths on both sides may be modified by supply status, artillery fire support, terrain, and special unit capabilities.
Step 2: Determine Attack/Defense Strength Ratio. (B) Compare the two numbers as a ratio (e.g. 14 to 7). Simplify this ratio to one of those shown on the appropriate terrain row of the AM (Day) or PM (Night) Combat Results Table (CRT) by dividing the smaller number into itself (e.g. 7 / 7 = 1) and then into the larger number (e.g. 14 / 7 = 2). The resulting "Combat Odds Ratio" in this case is 14-7, simplified to 2-1. Fractions are rounded off in favor of the defender (e.g. 14-7 becomes 2-1; 4-9 becomes 1-3; 19-10 becomes 1-1, etc.).
Step 3: Apply Combat Odds Modifiers. (B) The combat odds are then modified to achieve a final combat odds ratio. Combat odds can be modified by the use of coordinated attack, coordinated defense, combined arms, armor superiority, tactical air support, surprise, deception, terrain, and special unit capabilities.
Step 4: Roll Die and Apply Results. (B) The attacker then rolls one die and cross references the result (that may be modified by armor superiority) with the final combat odds column of the attack with the proper terrain row on the CRT, thus yielding the attack result that is applied to all participating units before another attack is conducted. Results can include retreat, step loss, being locked in combat (Engaged), advance after combat and or disorganization. Exploitation reserves may be committed to re-roll engaged results.
6.3.1 Modification of Attack and Defense Strength
(B) The attack and defense strength of units involved in combat may be substantially altered by combat conditions. Combat strength modifications ARE NOT cumulative (i.e. the attack and defense strength of units may not be halved or doubled more than once regardless of the situation). When attack or defense strength is halved due to supply, strategic movement or other conditions and then doubled due to terrain effects or other influences, the effects are considered to cancel each other, yielding the unmodified attack or defense strength of the units.
6.3.1.1 Attack Strength is Halved (fractions rounded up) if:
- (B) Units are not in general supply.
- (B) Units are not in attack supply.
- (B) Units attack across river or Meuse River hex sides.
- (B) Armored units attack into forest or city hexes across non-road or along secondary road (track) hex sides.
- (B) Armored units attack into Westwall hexes or UP slope hex sides.
- (B) Artillery units conduct barrage attacks or offensive fire support into city, town, Westwall or improved position (IP), hexes.
- (Adv) German flak units attack on clear weather AM (daylight) turns. This limitation does not apply to German anti-tank units.
6.3.1.2 Attack Strength is Doubled if:
- (B) Armor units attack non-armor units in clear terrain hexes unless they contain or are stacked with engineer, flak or anti-tank units. Armor unit attack strength is not doubled when attacking town or city hexes in clear terrain.
6.3.1.3 Defense Strength is Halved (fractions rounded up) if:
-
(B) Units are isolated.
-
(B) Units are in strategic movement (SM).
-
(B) Artillery barrage strength for defensive fire support is halved for Allied artillery; quartered for German artillery.
-
(Adv) On clear weather AM (daylight) turns, the defense strength of German flak units is halved (fractions rounded up) and the presence of flak units in a hex does not nullify the combined arms or armor superiority bonus of attacking Allied units. This limitation does not apply to German anti-tank units.
6.3.1.4 Defense Strength is Doubled for
- (B) Units defending in city and Westwall hexes.
- (B) Units defending in improved positions (IP).
- (B) Armor units defending in clear terrain hexes unless attacked by other armored units which can claim armor superiority.
6.3.2 Modification of Combat Odds
(B) It is possible for the combat odds on the CRT to be "shifted" one or more columns to the left or right based on certain combat conditions. A 1 (positive) odds shift would change a 1-1 attack to a 2-1 attack; a -1 (negative) odds shift would change a 1-1 attack to a 1-2 attack, etc. Combat odds shifts ARE cumulative (e.g. a -1 shift and a 1 shift would result in no shift at all; a -1 shift and a 3 shift would result in a 2 shift; etc.). All applicable negative combat odds shifts are applied before any positive shifts. Briefly, the conditions that can shift combat odds include:
- (B) Coordinated attack: 1 for the attacker.
- (B) Coordinated defense: -1 for the defender.
- (B) German Surprise: 2 for all German attacks on the 16AM game turn; 1 for all German attacks on the 16PM through 18AM game turns.
- (B) First attack from German KG Peiper or Panzer Brigade 150: 1 for each.
- (B) Town Hexes: -1 for all defending units (no odds shift if occupying an improved position (IP)).
- (B) Westwall Hexes: 1 for defending German units.
- (Adv) German Tiger Tanks: 1 for the attacker, -1 for the defender.
- (Adv) Tactical Air Superiority: 1 for the attacker, -1 for the defender.
- (Opt) Successful German commando deception attack: 1 with successful die roll when a commando is stacked with other attacking German units.
- (Opt) Allied Night Attacks: -1 beginning DEC 29PM game turn.
- (Opt) Elite Troop Defense Advantage: -1 for the defender.
- (Opt) Tiger Scare!: 1 if attacking, -1 if defending with successful die roll when German Panther or Jagdpanther (armor types 2 or 5) units are involved.
6.3.3 Maximum and Minimum Combat Odds
(B) Odds greater than the maximum odds shown on the CRT for the appropriate terrain are resolved on the right-hand most column; combat odds less than the minimum odds shown on the CRT for the appropriate terrain are resolved on the left-hand most column. Example: An attack with a base combined combat strength ratio of 1-5 in Light Woods with one negative and two positive shifts is resolved as a 2-1 attack ((i.e. 1-5 minus one odds shift still equals 1-2 (lowest odds on the Lt. Woods line) and then two positive shifts are applied to take the attack from 1-2 to 1-1, to 2-1)).
6.3.4 Die Roll Modification
(B) If one player has an armor superiority (B) or combined arms (Adv) advantage, subtract one (-1) from the die roll for the attacker or add one (+1) to the die roll for the defender.
6.4 Combat Coordination
6.4.1 Basic
6.4.1.1 Coordinated Attack
(B) When the attacker has at least two regimental or brigade sized (Cl) units from the same division participating in a battle, one positive combat odds shift is applied to the final combat odds determination (i.e. a 2-1 attack is modified to a 3-1 attack). Other friendly units may participate in such an attack but do not further increase this benefit.
6.4.1.2 Coordinated Defense
(B) When any two regimental or brigade sized (Cl) units from the same division are defending a hex or are adjacent to each other in separate hexes when one or both of them is attacked, one negative combat odds shift is applied to the final combat odds determination (i.e. a 2-1 attack is modified to a 1-1 attack). Other friendly units may participate in such a defense but do not further increase this benefit.
6.4.1.3 Battalion-sized Units
(B) Battalion sized units count as one half of a regiment or brigade for the purposes of possessing a coordinated attack or defense advantage (four battalions of the same division or two battalions and a regiment or brigade would be necessary to claim a coordinated attack or defense in a battle).
6.4.2 Advanced
6.4.2.1 Uncoordinated Attack
(Adv) When only one unit of a division is attacking, the combat odds are unaffected unless the defender has a coordinated defense, which provides a negative (-1) combat odds shift. A coordinated defense is accomplished the same as the basic game rule: two or more regimental or brigade sized units from the same division defending in the same hex or adjacent to each other.
6.4.2.2 Coordinated Attack
(Adv) When two or more regimental or brigade sized units of a division are attacking, the combat odds are unaffected whether or not the defender has a coordinated defense.
6.4.2.3 Coordinated Flanking Attack
(Adv) When two or more regimental or brigade sized units of a division make a "flanking attack" (attacking a defending unit from at least two non-adjacent hexes simultaneously), the attacker receives a positive (+1) combat odds shift regardless of a coordinated defense. The two units from the same division do not have to form the non-adjacent prongs of the attack; other friendly units may fulfill this requirement.
6.4.3 Effects of Supply
(B) Unsupplied, isolated or disorganized units may not contribute to a coordinated attack; fatigued units are limited by Rule 4.9. Unsupplied, isolated or fatigued units may claim a coordinated defense.
6.4.4 Singleness of Effect
(B) Regardless of the number of divisions participating in an attack or a defense, a player may never receive more than one coordination benefit per battle. Some units have no parent division (the number on the left side of the unit symbol) and cannot take advantage of the coordination benefit.
6.4.5 Special Divisions
(B) Even though they are not divisions, the Führer Begleit Brigade (Fuh Bglt) and Führer Grenadier Brigade (Fuh Gr) are eligible to receive divisional attack and coordination benefits.
6.4.6 Coordinated Attack vs. Coordinated Defense
(B) It is possible for both the attacker and defender to claim combat coordination benefits in a single battle, in which case the effects nullify each other.
6.4.7 Inter-Allied Coordination
(Opt) In any combat that involves British / French AND U.S. forces, none of the participating units are eligible for combat coordination benefits.
6.4.8 German Commando Combat Deception
(Opt) German commando units may try to aid German attacks by "Combat Deception" when stacked with attacking German combat units. The German player may announce a combat deception attack before the combat resolution die roll. He then rolls one die on the German Commando Deception Attack Table to determine its effect. A result of "S" equals a successful deception attack and a positive (+1) combat odds shift. A result of "NE" equals no effect. A result of "NE/ELIM" equals no effect and the elimination of the commando unit. Only one combat deception attack may be attempted per turn.
6.5 Combined Arms and Armor Superiority
6.5.1 Armor Superiority, Basic
(B) If one of the players in a battle has an armor or panzer unit participating and the opposing player does not, the player that does may claim "Armor Superiority", resulting in a -1 (for attack) or 1 (for defense) modification to the combat die roll. The advanced rules below are more realistic.
6.5.2 Armor Superiority Restrictions
(B) Armor or panzer units that are unsupplied, isolated or fatigued may not claim a combined arms or armor superiority advantage. The decision to claim combined arms or armor superiority is optional but must be made before the combat resolution die is rolled. If a player who claims combined arms or armor superiority in a battle suffers a step loss or losses as a result of combat, at least one of the step losses must come from a participating armor or panzer unit. If more than one armor of panzer unit is participating, the first step loss must be applied to a non-reduced armor unit of the owning player's choice. If all armor or panzer units are at full strength or already reduced, the owning player chooses which one to take the first step loss (Cl).
6.5.3 Terrain Considerations on Armor Operations
(B, Adv) See paragraph 6.2.
6.5.4 Combined Arms, Advanced
6.5.4.1 Combined Arms
(Adv) Based on the types of units involved in attack and defense, the combat die roll may be modified due to a "Combined Arms" advantage. To determine this, cross index the result on the Combined Arms Table, and modify the combat die roll by the result.
6.5.4.2 Combined Arms Unit Types
(Adv)
6.5.4.2.1 Individual Units
(Adv) U.S. armored Combat Commands (CCA, CCB and CCR); German panzer reconnaissance battalions (Puma, Lynx, and the Stug unit in 2SS Pz Div); British tank brigades; German Kampfgruppen and Allied Task Forces are combined arms "Infantry & Armor" type units. Panzer grenadier and armored infantry units are "Infantry" type units.
6.5.4.2.2 Multiple Units
(Adv) In battles where the attacker or defender has multiple units, the owning player may choose which units to apply to the combined arms determination. Note that the combined arms advantage is provided to the U.S. infantry and armor units that begin the game stacked in hex 1527 although they do not also receive the coordinated defense advantage (Cl).
6.5.4.2.3 Non-listed Units
(Adv) Unit types not listed on the Combined Arms Table (e.g. commander, fuel dumps) do not receive combined arms or armor superiority modifiers.
6.5.5 Armor Superiority, Advanced
(Adv) When both players have armored units participating in a battle (signified by a ** on the Combined Arms Table), one of the players may claim "Armor Superiority" based on the qualitative capabilities of the participating armor units. When this occurs, the players cross index the most favorable armor unit of the attacking and defending units on the Armor Superiority Table. The comparison of the two determines which player has armor superiority and the corresponding die roll modification for either the Allied (A) or the German (G) player. In cases where the opposing armor types are equal, the advantage goes to the defender (D). The number on the Armor Superiority Table by vehicle type corresponds to the Armor Type identity numbers in the upper left hand corner of the unit counter.
6.5.6 Flak/AT and Armor Superiority
(Opt)
6.5.6.1
(Opt) No Allied attack may claim the combined arms advantage when attacking a hex containing German flak units. The German player may claim an armor superiority advantage based on other defending armor units (Cl). This restriction does not apply on clear weather AM turns.
6.5.6.2
(Opt) Allied units may not claim the combined arms or armor superiority advantage in attack or defense when opposed by at least one strength point of German anti-tank unit(s). German flak units do not have this capability. Note that this does not confer a combined arms or armor superiority bonus on the German player, it merely nullifies it for the Allied player.
6.6 German Tiger Tanks
(B) Several German panzer units are "Tiger" tank units (armor types 3 and 6) - and they were everywhere!!! These units provide the German player a beneficial combat odds shift (-1 if attacking; 1 if defending). The German player may receive BOTH the beneficial combat odds shift for Tiger tanks and a combined arms / armor superiority die roll modification. The Tiger tank advantage may not be claimed in situations where armor superiority cannot be obtained (e.g. when unsupplied, isolated or fatigued or when attacking across unbridged rivers, into non-road forest hexes, up non-road slope hex sides).
6.6.1 Tiger Scare!
(Opt) In any combat where German Panthers or Jagdpanthers (Armor Types 2 or 5) participate, the Allied player rolls one die on the German Tank Identity Table. In defending stacks, use the Allied unit most likely to correctly identify the German armor (i.e. won't be scared). If the German armor units are identified as Tigers, the German player receives either an offensive (-1) or defensive (+1) combat odds shift, in addition to a combined arms / armor superiority die roll modification (if applicable). The results of one battle have no bearing on subsequent battles, even for the same units. Every possible "Tiger Scare" is rolled separately.
6.7 Artillery
6.7.1 General
(B) The artillery units in the game represent Corps and Army level artillery regiments, brigades and corps. The artillery that was organic to divisions and brigades is factored into the attack and defense strength of the regular combat units (Cl). Artillery units (including German rocket or Nebelwerfer units) have three numbers below the unit name that correspond to:
Barrage Strength – Range – Movement Allowance
Unlike other units, artillery units may provide offensive fire support or defensive fire support assistance to other friendly units in combat anywhere within the artillery unit's range. Artillery units may also conduct barrage attacks on enemy units or bridge interdiction fire anywhere within the artillery unit's range. Terrain does not affect the line of fire of artillery units. All artillery fire is voluntary.
6.7.2 Offensive Fire Support
(B) Artillery units may provide "Offensive Fire Support" to friendly units in their combat phase by adding their barrage strength to the attack strength points of the participating unit(s). No more offensive fire support may be allotted to a battle than the unmodified attack strength of the participating friendly combat unit(s). The range of offensive fire support is counted from the artillery unit's hex (exclusive) to that of one of the defending enemy units (inclusive). As many artillery units as are within range may provide offensive fire support as long as they have the same Corps designation. The combat result of attacks supported by offensive fire support does not affect the firing artillery unit(s).
6.7.3 Defensive Fire Support
(B) Artillery units may provide "Defensive Fire Support" to friendly units during the enemy player's combat phase by adding one-half (rounded up) of their barrage strength (for Allied units) or one-quarter (rounded up) of their barrage strength (for German units) to the combined defense strength of any hex that is within the artillery unit's range. Furthermore, unlike Allied units, no more than one German artillery unit may provide defensive fires support to a single hex of friendly units being attacked. No more defensive fire support may be allocated to a friendly occupied hex than the unmodified defense strength of the unit or stack of units in the hex. Defensive fire support strength is unaffected by the terrain that the friendly defending unit occupies. The range of defensive fire support is counted from the hex of the artillery unit (exclusive) to the hex of the friendly defending unit (inclusive). If more than one unit is defending in more than one hex, the hexes of both friendly units must be in range. The combat result of battles supported by defensive fire support has no effect on the firing artillery unit(s).
6.7.4 Barrage Attacks
(B) Artillery units may conduct "Barrage Attacks" on enemy units that are adjacent to at least one friendly unit and within the artillery unit's range. This restriction does not apply to Allied artillery units on clear weather AM game turns due to artillery spotter aircraft (Cl). The range of a barrage attack is counted from the artillery unit's hex (exclusive) to the target unit's hex (inclusive). Barrage attacks are resolved using the same battle resolution procedure as regular attacks except that no combined arms or armor superiority die roll modification is applicable (Cl). Barrage attacks against enemy units may not be performed unless the minimum odds ratio on the CRT can be achieved by the barraging artillery units. Enemy artillery units may not provide defensive fire support for friendly units undergoing barrage attacks. Artillery units that conduct barrage attacks are unaffected by the combat results. "ENG" results affecting the attacker have "no effect" on the artillery unit(s). In the event of an "FF" result, the defending unit(s) take a step loss but the artillery unit(s) are unaffected.
6.7.5 Bridge Interdiction Fire
(B) Allied artillery units that are in general supply may fire at bridges constructed by German engineer units during the game (these were very lightly built, pontoon structures (Cl)). They may not attempt to destroy existing bridges that are intact at the beginning of the game. When "Bridge Interdiction Fire" is attempted, an Allied artillery unit within range of the bridge hex side conducts a barrage attack against it and rolls one die. On a result of "1" or "2", the bridge is destroyed (place a blown bridge marker on the hex side); all other results are considered "no effect".
6.7.6 Defense Against Ground Attack
(B) All artillery and rocket units have a defense strength of "1" when attacked. This is subject to modification by terrain and supply status. Artillery units may retreat normally. Artillery units do not have steps and if forced to take a step loss are eliminated.
6.7.7 Movement Restrictions
(B) Artillery units may only cross rivers at intact bridges or fords. Artillery units may not move and fire in a single turn. Artillery units that move in the friendly player's movement phase may not provide defensive fire support in the opposing player's following combat phase. It is recommended that moving artillery units orient their counter facing sideways to distinguish which can fire and which cannot.
6.7.8 Artillery Restrictions
(B) Each individual artillery unit may only conduct one offensive fire support, barrage attack or bridge interdiction fire mission per game turn, as well as one defensive fire support mission per game turn. The barrage strength of artillery units conducting offensive fire support and barrage attacks is halved (fractions rounded up) when firing into city, town, Westwall and improved position (IP) hexes. In such cases, all participating artillery units are totaled and the result is then halved. Unsupplied artillery units have their barrage strength halved (fractions rounded up). Isolated artillery units and those in strategic movement may not fire at all. Artillery units may not fire at non-adjacent enemy units if an enemy unit is adjacent to them. Any number of friendly Allied artillery units may combine to provide offensive fire support or conduct barrage attacks as long as they have the same corps designation. Only Allied artillery units may combine to provide defensive fire support but they must still have the same corps designation. U.S. artillery units may not support British, French or Belgian (Cl) units with offensive or defensive fire support and vice versa. In the battle resolution procedure, the attacker must allocate his offensive fire support in each battle before the defender is required to decide which friendly units will provide defensive fire support.
6.7.9 Special German Artillery Restrictions
(B) Because of a lack of transport, fuel and artillery ammunition, much of the German artillery was left behind during the offensive. German artillery units are printed on their reverse side with reduced barrage strengths and movement allowances. German artillery units with a movement allowance of "0" may not "move at least one hex per turn" per Rule 4.1. To move, they must flip over to their reverse side and use the values printed thereon for the rest of the game until they return to their original start hex, at which time they are flipped back over and regain their original barrage strength. Note that this does not mean that German Artillery unit have steps for the purposes of combat losses.
6.7.10 Allied Air Observation
(Opt) During clear weather AM (daylight) turns, the barrage strength of Allied artillery units is increased by one (1) strength point.
6.8 Tactical Air Support
(Adv) Both players receive "Tactical Air Support" in the form of air missions as allocated in the Allied and German Air Order Of Battle (B) or when prescribed by the Uncertain Weather Table (Opt). Tactical air missions consist of five types: ground attack support, ground defense support, air interdiction, air attack and non-battlefield interdiction. Aircraft units may "fly" to any hex on the map and do not count for stacking purposes. All tactical air support must be used in the turn it is available but may be used in either player's portion of the game turn. Each individual air unit may only perform one type of air mission per turn. Bombers (Allied A-20, B-26 and Lancaster) that may only perform air interdiction or air attack. The German Ju-88 unit may execute air attack or ground attack support missions on PM turns. The Allied C-47 and German Ju-88 may perform air resupply. All fighter-bomber (FB) air units perform identically to each other; the historical Group designations are for interest only and have no effect on play. American FB air units may only conduct ground attack support or ground defense support missions for U.S. units. British FB air units may only conduct ground attack support or ground defense support missions for British units (Cl).
6.8.1 Ground Attack Support
(Adv) The phasing player may fly "Ground Attack Support" missions in the combat phase just before the resolution of friendly ground combat. An FB air unit counter is placed on a hex of enemy units that is to be attacked by friendly ground units (it may not be used solely in conjunction with an artillery barrage attack (Cl)). The Allied player may only fly ground attack support missions against city, town, or village hexes occupied by enemy units. The German player may only fly ground attack support missions against town or city hexes occupied by enemy units. When ground attack support missions are flown, a die roll on the Ground Attack Support Table determines the combat odds shift applied to that attack. A result of 1 yields a positive shift (e.g. a 1-1 attack would become a 2-1 attack); a result of 0 yields a miss or ineffective attack (no shift); a result of -1 represents a mistaken attack on friendly troops (e.g. 2-1 attack would become a 1-1 attack). Up to two ground attack support missions may be used in a single battle but each must be rolled for individually. Ground attack support missions may not be used to support reserve combat attacks in the exploitation phase (Cl).
6.8.2 Ground Defense Support
(Adv) The non-phasing player may fly "Ground Defense Support" missions in the opposing player's combat phase after ground attack support missions have been placed. An FB air unit is placed on a hex containing enemy units from which a friendly unit is being attacked (not a non-adjacent enemy artillery unit (Cl)). The Allied player may only fly ground defense support missions against city, town, or village hexes occupied by enemy units. The German player may only fly ground defense support missions against town or city hexes occupied by enemy units. When ground defense support missions are flown, a die roll on the Ground Defense Support Table determines the combat odds shift applied to that attack. A -1 result yields a negative shift (e.g. a 2-1 would become a 1-1 attack). A 0 result yields a miss or ineffective attack (no shift). A 1 result represents a mistaken attack on friendly troops and a positive shift (e.g. 1-1 attack would become a 2-1 attack). Only one ground defense support mission may be used in a single battle. Ground defense support missions may not be used to support defending units during reserve combat in the exploitation phase (Cl). Successful ground defense support missions cancel successful ground attack support missions on a one-for-one basis.
6.8.3 Air Interdiction
(Adv) Air units may attack road hexes using "Air Interdiction" to make it more difficult for enemy units to move through them and cut supply lines. These are flown on AM turns at the beginning of the German player's supply determination phase and are removed at the end of the Allied player's AM engineer phase. The German player may not fly air interdiction missions on PM game turns. Air Interdiction missions may not be flown against hexes that are adjacent to friendly units. The German player places air interdiction missions first, then the Allied player. FB units may attack any road hex but bombers may only attack road hexes in towns or cities. Either player with remaining air missions may then negate an enemy air interdiction mission by placing a friendly FB air unit on top of an interdicting air unit. Such negated interdiction attempts have no effect. The owning player then rolls a die on the Air Interdiction Table to determine the effectiveness of all remaining air interdiction missions that have not been negated. Successful air interdiction missions have an "Interdicted" marker placed on the hex to signify that the road is cut. Both enemy and friendly units must pay the full, non-road terrain cost to move through the interdicted hex and neither side may use that road hex to trace supply. Failed air interdiction attempts have no effect and the air units are removed.
6.8.4 Air Attack
(Adv) Air missions may be used to "Air Attack" enemy units using the same procedure as air interdiction and at the same time in the turn sequence. Air attacks may not be flown against enemy units that are adjacent to friendly units. Air attack and an air interdiction missions may not be flown against the same hex, the owning player must state which is being performed. FB air units may perform air attack in any terrain but bombers may only perform air attack against towns or cities. The German player places his air attack missions first, then the Allied player. Remaining friendly FB air missions may then be used to negate enemy air attacks. For all remaining air attacks that are not negated, the owning player rolls a die on the Air Attack Table to determine its effectiveness. Note that the die roll modifiers in the table are cumulative (e.g. a motorized unit in strategic movement would have 3 subtracted from the die roll). The results are resolved as follows:
6.8.4.1 Step: One unit of the owning player's choice takes a step loss and all units in the hex are disorganized. Place white disorganized markers on units so affected.
6.8.4.2 DIS (Disorganized): All units in the hex are disorganized for the remainder of the AM portion of the game turn. Such units may not remain in or be placed in reserve, may not remain in or enter strategic movement, may not move, may not attack, defend at half strength if attacked by enemy units, and may not build or destroy bridges, build improved positions or create road blocks (Cl). Place white disorganized markers on units so affected. Unlike units disorganized by combat (6.12.9), disorganized markers from air attack are removed at the beginning of the owning player's following turn (e.g. German units disorganized by air attack on the 17AM turn would remove the markers prior to the German supply determination phase on the 17PM turn).
6.8.4.3 NE (No Effect): The air attack missed or had no effect.
6.8.5 Non-Battlefield Interception
(Adv) The Allied player may use FB units to intercept German air missions (except the Me-262 jet fighter unit (KG/51)). This is done on AM game turns prior to the German supply determination phase. For every one Allied FB unit assigned to a "Non-Battlefield Interception" mission, two German air units may not enter the map on that AM game turn. The Allied player is limited to one non-battlefield interception mission when mist weather in in effect and two non-battlefield interception missions when clear weather is in effect. German aircraft may not be intercepted on PM turns and the German player may not intercept Allied air missions at any time.
6.8.6 Flak Effects on Tactical Air Power
(Opt) Allied air units may not attack hexes containing a German flak unit. Allied air attack and air interdiction (Cl) missions conducted in hexes adjacent to a German flak unit suffer a 1 modification to their die roll. This does not apply to anti-tank units.
6.9 "Operation Stösser"
(Adv) This represents one of the German commando operations in the battle and the last German parachute operation of the war. On the 17AM game turn during the German player's replacement phase, the German player must attempt to air-drop the KG Von der Heydte unit (1-1-5) onto the map in any hex that is not in an enemy ZOC, forest, town or city, or within two hexes of any map edge or known allied fuel dump. The German player rolls on the German Paradrop Table to determine the unit's fate. A die roll of zero for the survival of the KG von der Heydte can only be rolled if the German player is using game variant 10 (Better German Logistics). If the unit survives the air drop, it is immediately placed in its air-drop hex. If it does not, it is eliminated from the game and may not be replaced. KG Von der Heydte has the following restrictions:
6.9.1 (Adv) It may not move on the turn it is dropped although it is considered to be in general supply for that one turn. Thereafter it is subject to all normal supply rules.
6.9.2 (Adv) When at reduced strength (0-1-3), Allied units in strategic movement may move freely within two hexes of KG Von der Heydte, but may not move adjacent to or over it.
6.9.3 (Adv) It may not be reorganized or replaced.
6.9.4 (Adv) It may not be used to capture Allied fuel dumps, but it may be used to search for them.
6.9.5 (Adv) KG Von der Heydte is not eligible to confer the German tactical victory through occupation of Liège or Namur hexes.
6.10 Allied Air Supremacy
(Adv) On clear weather AM game turns, the movement allowance of German motorized units is reduced by "2", German commander movement allowances are reduced by half, and no German motorized unit may enter strategic movement. German units that are already in SM on clear weather AM turns may remain in SM if they choose. German reinforcements may enter the map in SM if so desired but once they leave SM, they may not re-enter it on clear weather AM game turns.
6.11 Elite Troop Tenacity
(Opt) German SS units and parachute infantry on both sides fought with fanatical bravery in the Ardennes battle. Their espirit d' corps made these soldiers determined in attack and resolute in defense, usually at a greater cost in casualties. For the German player, only SS units may claim an "Elite Attack Advantage", while both SS and Fallschirmjäger units may claim an "Elite Defense Advantage". For the Allied player, all parachute infantry, glider infantry and Ranger units may claim both the elite attack advantage and elite defense advantage.
6.11.1 Elite Attack Advantage
(Opt) In any battle in which at least two elite units are participating, the owning player may elect to re-roll the die on ENG combat results. Regardless of the outcome of the second die-roll, the attacker must take a mandatory step loss from one of the participating elite units. This option can only be exercised once per turn for any particular battle (i.e. if the second die-roll also produces an ENG result, it is final for that battle (Cl)). German Fallschirmjäger units may not claim this advantage.
6.11.2 Elite Defense Advantage
(Opt) In any battle where the defending player has at least one elite unit, the owning player may declare a "no retreat" defense before the attacking player rolls the die. This advantage applies a negative combat odds shift to the attack (e.g. a 3-1 attack becomes a 2-1 attack). Step losses for both sides are doubled for FF combat results and any D combat result must be resolved by step losses rather than retreats for the defender (i.e. D1=1 step loss; D2=2 step losses). Any step losses must be taken from elite units first.
6.12 Application of Combat Results
6.12.1 Defender's Loss Results (D1, D2)
(B) The defending unit(s) must either lose the number of steps indicated; OR retreat all units the number of hexes indicated; OR a combination of step losses and hex retreats. Defenders may only take step losses in lieu of retreats when they occupy city, town, village, Westwall or improved position (IP) hexes; otherwise they must retreat even if it means taking step losses because of enemy ZOCs. When the loss of a step or steps is indicated, a step (or steps) is removed from any of the defending units, not each one of them. For example, on a D2 result, the defending unit(s) could all retreat 2 hexes; OR take two step losses from any of them without retreating (assuming they occupied a city, town, village, Westwall or IP hex); OR take one step loss from one of them and all other units retreat one hex (assuming they occupied a city, town, village, Westwall or IP hex).
6.12.2 Defender's Loss Result (D1+)
(B) This is resolved exactly like a D1 result except that the attacker must take a mandatory step loss from one of the attacking units. If the attacker received a combined arms or armor superiority modification to the die roll, this step must come from an unreduced participating armor unit of the owner's choice. If all participating armor units are already reduced, the owner chooses which one to eliminate.
6.12.3 Attacker's Loss Result (A1)
(B) Like a D1 result, the attacker must take a step loss from one of the involved units OR retreat all attacking units one hex. Unlike a D1 result, the attacker need not occupy a city, town, village, Westwall or IP hex to take a step loss in lieu of a retreat. All attacking units that retreat are also disorganized and marked appropriately.
6.12.4 Mandatory Loss Results (D2X, A1X, A2X)
(B) The owning player must take a mandatory step loss from one of the participating units AND then take any combination of step losses and / or retreats indicated by the number of the result. All attacking units that retreat are also disorganized and marked appropriately.
6.12.5 Fire Fight (FF)
(B) The defender must take one mandatory step loss from any one of the defending units, and then the attacker must also take one mandatory step loss from one of the attacking units. No retreat or advance after combat is possible unless one player's units are entirely eliminated as a result of the step loss.
6.12.6 Engaged (ENG)
(B) No step losses or retreats are taken, however the units are locked in combat. An ENG marker of the attacker's color is placed on one attacking units, white ENG markers are placed on all other involved units. The defender in his following turn must either remain in place, counterattack with the involved units, or retreat one hex. If the defender chooses to retreat, the attacker may immediately advance after combat per those rules. If he chooses to remain in place, the ENG markers also remain, the attacker may not move the engaged units and must re-fight the battle in his following turn. Both players may move up additional units to participate in the subsequent battle if they so desire. Armor or panzer units may freely move out of engaged status whether attacker or defender. Artillery units are not affected by ENG results.
6.12.6.1 Committing Reserves to ENG Results
(B) When the attacker receives an ENG result, he may at his discretion "commit" one of his exploitation reserves by moving it adjacent to the defending unit(s) and re-rolling the attack. No more than one exploitation reserve unit (including German Kampfgruppe or Allied Task Force) may be committed to a single battle and this reserve commitment takes place in the attacker's combat phase before any other attack may begin. The commitment of exploitation reserves immediately takes them out of reserve status.
In the re-rolled battle, the attack strength of the committed reserves is added to all the original participating units, including friendly artillery. The attack is recalculated with all applicable strength, combat odds and die roll modifiers that applied to the first combat, and it is possible for a reserve commitment to gain a combined arms or armor superiority advantage where none existed in the original battle. If an ENG result is received for a second time, it is final for that battle. Exploitation reserves may not be committed to ENG results during reserve combat in the exploitation phase.
6.12.7 Defender's Elimination Result (DE)
(B) One defending unit of the owning player's choice must be eliminated. It may not be a supporting artillery unit and if the defender received a combined arms or armor superiority advantage, the eliminated unit must be an unreduced armor unit. If all defending armor units were already reduced, the defender chooses one of them to eliminate. The defender must then retreat all remaining units two hexes OR take two additional step losses.
6.12.8 Attacker's Elimination Result (AE)
(B) One attacking unit of the owning player's choice must be eliminated and all remaining units are disorganized. It may not be a supporting artillery unit and if the attacker gained a combined arms or armor superiority advantage, it must be an unreduced armor unit. If all attacking armored units were already reduced, the attacker chooses one to eliminate. The attacker must then retreat all remaining units two hexes OR take two additional step losses. Place colored Disorganized markers on units so affected.
6.12.9 Disorganized Units
(B) Attacking units that retreat are also "disorganized" and may not move or participate in combat in the owning player's following turn. Disorganized units defend at half strength if attacked (fractions rounded up) and may not attack themselves in any game phase. Combat (colored) disorganized markers are removed at the end of the owning player's next game turn (e.g. German disorganized markers placed in the DEC 18AM game turn would be removed at the end of the German DEC 18PM game turn).
6.13 Retreat
(B) The owning player, if he elects to retreat, always moves retreating units in a path through the hex grid equal to the length of the number in the combat result table (one or two hexes). Defending units must retreat on all D results unless they occupy a city, town, village, Westwall or improved position (IP) hex. The owning player determines the path of retreat within the following priorities:
- If at all possible, not through river hex sides that are not traversed by an intact bridge or ford (exception: German armored units that cannot use fords);
- If at all possible, not through enemy ZOCs;
- Never through Meuse River hex sides that are not traversed by an intact bridge or ford (exception: German armored units that cannot use fords);
- Never through enemy units (exception, commandos); terrain that the unit cannot enter (Cl); or off the map. The retreating unit must lose steps instead.
- Always to the east for German units and always to the west for Allied units. IF a unit's easterly or westerly retreat route is blocked by enemy units or their ZOCs OR contains terrain through which a unit cannot move, it may retreat north or south rather than take a step loss or losses. The priority for eastern or western retreat is still applicable at the first available hex that would not incur a step loss.
6.13.1 Zone Of Control Effects on Retreat
(B) Units may retreat through enemy ZOCs if no other retreat path is available. In so doing, they must lose one step from each retreating unit in the stack for each hex in an enemy ZOC that they have to retreat through.
6.13.2 Zone Of Control Negation for Retreat
(B) The presence of friendly units negates the effect of enemy ZOCs for retreat purposes (i.e. units may retreat through friendly units in enemy ZOCs without losing steps). If a unit retreats into another friendly unit's hex and then comes under attack again in the same turn, the retreated unit does not add its defense strength with the other units in the hex. It is however subject to the combat results of the second (or subsequent) attack and may lose steps, have to retreat further or be destroyed. In no case may it advance after combat.
6.13.3 Stacking and Retreat
(B) Units may not end their retreat in violation of stacking limits. If forced do so, they must lose steps until the stacking limit is reached. German Panzer Brigade 150 may not stack with other friendly units at any time and if forced to do so during a retreat, must lose steps instead.
6.13.4 German Commandos and Retreat
(Opt) German commandos only retreat when they are attached to other friendly units. German commandos have no effect on enemy retreats and retreating Allied units have no effect on unattached German commandos; they remain in place and are unaffected.
6.14 Advance After Combat
(B) When a unit retreats or is eliminated as a result of combat, the opposing player's participating units are eligible to "Advance After Combat". Different types of units have different abilities to advance.
6.14.1 Units Eligible to Advance
(B) Any victorious armor or infantry unit (of any type) may advance after combat regardless of whether they were the attacker or the defender in the battle. Artillery, rocket, flak, anti-tank, engineer, commander and commando (unless attached to a KG) units may not advance after combat. Friendly units may not stack during advance after combat (exception: multi-unit German Kampfgruppen or Allied Task Forces).
6.14.2 When to Advance
(B) The option to advance after combat must be exercised immediately before any other combat takes place. Defeated enemy units must retreat their entire distance in hexes before the victorious player advances any of his participating units. Units are never forced to advance and may advance less than the maximum number of hexes allowed.
6.14.3 Direction of Advance
(B) Advancing units may advance in any direction as long as the first hex advanced into is the defeated unit's vacated hex.
6.14.4 Length of Advance
(B) Victorious regular, airborne, glider, Fallschirmjäger, Ranger or static infantry may advance one hex after combat. Armored infantry and panzer grenadiers may advance two hexes after combat. Armor and panzer units may advance one more hex than the defeated unit(s) retreated or was (were) called on to retreat. Reserves attacking in the combat phase may advance only one hex as long as they do not move adjacent to enemy units in doing so. Reserves attacking in the exploitation phase advance normally (Cl).
6.14.5 Length of Advance After Elimination Results
(B) In the event of a FF or elimination result that completely destroys the defeated unit(s) through step loss, the victorious player's armor units may advance two hexes; all infantry (of any type) may advance one hex.
6.14.6 Terrain Effects on Advance
(B) Units may attack but may not advance into terrain that they would be forbidden to move through during the movement phase. Advancing units may ignore terrain costs except that never more than one hex side may be advanced across that is an un-bridged river, slope or ford. Armor and panzer units may not advance across un-bridged river hex sides or across slope hex sides into woods or forest hexes unless advancing along a road of any type. Armored units must stop their advance in the first non-road woods or forest hex entered. Armor and panzer units may advance across ford hex sides (except German panzer units that may not cross fords) although they may only advance one hex in this case.
6.14.7 Zone Of Control Effects on Advance and Stacking
(B) Advancing units must stop as soon as they enter an enemy Full ZOC or Provisional ZOC, including the ZOCs of the unit(s) that just retreated if present.
7.0 Exploitation Phase
7.1 Exploitation Movement
(B) After friendly movement and combat has ended, units that were designated as reserves may either move in the exploitation phase or remain in reserve for defensive purposes. Units in reserve may conduct normal, road or march movement but may not use strategic movement or make forced marches. Otherwise, reserves move normally in the exploitation phase.
7.2 Combat Reserves
7.2.1
(B) "Combat Reserves" may move up to one half their movement allowance (fractions rounded up) during the owning player's movement phase and then attack during the combat phase at the owning player's discretion. Their combat strength is added to other friendly non-reserve units and the battle is resolved normally. If a combat result of A1, A2, A2X or ENG (Cl) is received, the participating combat reserves are immediately removed from reserve status and precluded from movement or reserve combat in the exploitation phase.
7.2.2
(B) After all attacks in the combat phase are concluded, combat reserves may move up to one half of their movement allowance (fractions rounded down) in the owning player's exploitation phase and participate in reserve combat as described below. Doing so removes them from reserve status.
7.3 Exploitation Reserves
7.3.1
(B) "Exploitation Reserves" may not move in the initial movement phase or attack in the initial combat phase unless they are "committed to battle".
7.3.2
(B) Exploitation reserves may be "committed to battle" during the initial combat phase (only) and used to re-roll ENG results (see Rule 6.12.6.1). Doing so immediately removes them from reserve status, thus precluding their movement in the exploitation phase.
7.3.3
(B) Exploitation reserves may move their full movement allowance in the exploitation phase and then participate in reserve combat as described below. Doing so removes them from reserve status.
7.3.4
(B) Alternatively, exploitation reserves may stay where they are in the exploitation phase and thus be held as defensive reserves that can move in the enemy reaction phase of the opposing player's following turn.
7.4 Reserve Combat
(B) Reserves that move in the exploitation phase may, at the owning player's discretion, attack adjacent enemy units at the end of exploitation movement. The "Reserve Combat" sub-phase occurs after all exploitation movement is complete and is resolved like standard combat with the following exceptions:
7.4.1
(B) No more than one reserve unit (or KG or TF composed of two units) may conduct a reserve combat attack against a single hex containing enemy units in a single battle.
7.4.2
(B) Combined arms and armor superiority rules do apply to reserve combat.
7.4.3
(B) Artillery and air units may not be used by either the attacker or defender to support friendly units in reserve combat.
7.4.4
(B) It is possible for an enemy unit to be attacked both in the initial combat phase and then again during reserve combat at the end of the exploitation phase – all in a single turn. A single unit may not be attacked more than once during reserve combat (e.g. if it retreated into a hex adjacent to another reserve unit as a result of a previous reserve combat attack). Exploitation reserves may not be committed to ENG results during reserve combat in the exploitation phase.
8.0 Engineer Phase
(B) Units in the "Engineer Phase" complete those activities that usually require the specialized capabilities of combat or construction engineer units. They typically took a good deal of time to complete and are therefore executed after all other activity (Cl). Some, all or none of the owning player's engineer units may perform any one of the following construction functions each game turn: Build a bridge, build an improved position, or create a road block (Opt).
8.1 Bridges
(B) Bridges allow units to cross rivers at the road movement rate (4.2.3 and 4.6). Players should note that some of the bridges crossing the Our River are "blown" at the beginning of the game. Often in the Ardennes, motorized columns piled up in huge traffic jams waiting for engineers to build bridges.
8.1.1 Bridge Construction
(B) Bridges may be built at existing crossing sites or where no bridge previously existed and serve to connect otherwise unconnected roads (e.g. hexes 1325 and 1425). An engineer unit may build a bridge across a river or Meuse River hex side by moving across it during the owning player's movement phase, announcing that a bridge is being built and placing a bridge marker (>==<)
across the hex side that the engineer unit crossed. Note that this costs the engineer unit's entire movement allowance so it must begin its movement phase adjacent to the hex side to be bridged. Bridges are assumed to be built at the moment that the engineer unit moves across the river. Friendly units may cross bridges in the turn they are built but may only move one hex across the river (i.e. they must stop in the hex with the building engineer unit). Reserve units during their exploitation phase may not move across a bridge that was built in the preceding movement phase.
8.1.1.1 Bridge Building Restrictions
(B) Engineer units that are unsupplied, isolated, fatigued, disorganized or in strategic movement may not build bridges. An engineer unit may not build a bridge in a hex with an enemy ZOC unless that hex also contains another friendly unit. The Allied player may build any number of bridges during the game. The German player may only build a total of eight (8) bridges during the entire game.
8.1.2 Bridge Destruction
(B) Both players may attempt to destroy (blow) bridges that the enemy player attempts to cross within certain limits. The attempt to blow the bridge may only be made at the instant an enemy unit attempts to move or attack across the bridge during the movement phase, reaction phase, exploitation phase, during retreats or advance after combat, or during an attack in the combat phase (Cl). Engineer units may also attempt to blow a bridge during the engineer phase of their own turn. Engineer Battalions (II) and non-engineer units may attempt to blow only one bridge per player turn. Engineer Groups (III) or Brigades (X) may blow up to two bridges per player turn (Cl). Only one attempt to blow any single bridge may be made per player turn. For each bridge destruction attempt, the player controlling the bridge rolls one die on the Bridge Demolition Table. Place Destroyed Bridge (>=X=<) markers on bridges that receive "D" results. Units attempting to cross a bridge that is subsequently blown must halt and end their movement. Attacking armored units may complete their attack but lose any combined arms or armor superiority advantage they may have (Cl). Destroyed bridges negate the roads crossing them, and units crossing a blown bridge hex side (i.e. infantry units of any type and engineers) must pay movement point costs for crossing an unbridged river. Unless rebuilt, blow bridges remain destroyed indefinitely.
8.1.2.1 Bridge Blowing Restrictions
(B) Units that are unsupplied, isolated, fatigued, disorganized, in reserve or in strategic movement may not attempt to blow bridges. Neither player may attempt to blow bridges if the range from the unit attempting to blow the bridge to the hex containing the bridge must traverse un-bridged river hex sides or hexes containing enemy units or their ZOCs (friendly units negate enemy ZOCs for the purpose of this rule). The hex containing the bridge hex side may contain enemy ZOCs (but not enemy units) and still be eligible for an attempt to blow the bridge, but "+1" is added to the die roll in this case.
8.1.2.2 Commando Bridge Demolition (Opt)
(Opt) German commandos may attempt to blow bridges by moving adjacent to a bridge hex side and rolling one die in the engineer phase. A result of "1" blows the bridge. German commandos may not blow bridges if an Allied unit is adjacent to the bridge hex side.
8.1.2.3 Commando Sabotage Operations (Opt)
(Opt) German commandos may attempt to interfere with Allied attempts to blow bridges. If a German commando unit is within one hex of a bridge that the Allied player attempts to blow, "+1" is added to the bridge destruction die roll.
8.2 Improved Positions (IP)
8.2.1 Building Improved Positions
(B) "Improved Positions (IP)" consist of hasty field fortifications (fox holes, dugouts), wire obstacles, cleared fields of fire, heavy/crew served weapons placement, artillery registration, telephone communications and other improvements designed to provide an organized defense in depth (Cl). During the engineer phase, the phasing player may build IP in any type of terrain with any armor, panzer, infantry (of any type), flak, anti-tank or engineer unit (Cl). Artillery, rocket, commando and commander units may not build IP. Units that build IP occupy it until they leave through movement of any type or retreat.
8.2.2 Durability of Improved Positions
(B) Improved positions remain on the map as long as they are occupied by friendly units at the end of every movement phase and are not vacated as a result of combat. Units may occupy a vacant IP during their own movement phase if it was last occupied by a same-sized or larger unit. Units that move into a hex with an occupied IP do not also gain the IPs benefits unless they also build an IP in the hex. The combined defense strength of stacked units must therefore be carefully calculated. As a game aid, stack units in IP below the Improved Position counter and those outside the IP above it (Cl). IP that are vacant at the end of the owning player's movement phase or vacated by friendly units for any reason during any other phase are eliminated and removed from the map. Although artillery and rocket units may not build IP, they may maintain them by occupation. It is important to note that certain Allied units begin the game in IP (denoted by a bracket "[ ]" on their unit counters) and the Allied OOB (Note IP).
8.2.3 Effects of Improved Positions
(B) Improved positions double the defense strength of any and all units defending in them. If IP are built in town hexes, the defending units do not also receive the defensive (+1) combat odds shift.
8.2.4 IP Restrictions
(B) Units that are unsupplied, isolated, fatigued, disorganized, in reserve, in strategic movement or have moved or engaged in combat during the current game turn may not build IP. Engineer units may not move and create an IP in a single turn; they may do one or the other. Engineer units may construct IP on PM turns even when adjacent to enemy units so long as the engineer units were not attacked in the previous opponent's player turn, including attacks by barrage attack (Cl) or air attack, whether successful or not. Non-engineer units may never create IP when adjacent to enemy units. IP may be built along the map edge (Cl).
8.3 Road Blocks
(Opt) "Road Blocks" represent mine fields, felled trees, blown culverts and other methods used to impede the enemy's road mobility (Cl) and are depicted by blown bridge (>=X=<) markers. During the owning player's engineer phase, any engineer unit may create a road block in the same way they build bridges (see Rule 8.1.2). Only one road block may be created by a single engineer unit per turn. Once created, road blocks remain on the map until a friendly or enemy unit moves onto them by paying the full terrain movement cost of the hex. This immediately clears the road block and the unit may use any remaining movement points to complete its movement. Artillery, rocket, commando or commander units may not be used to remove road blocks. Road blocks may be cleared during the movement phase or reaction phase; or in the exploitation phase by units advancing after combat although in the last case they must end their advance in the hex containing the road block (Cl). See the Allied and German OOB, Note RB for at start placement of road blocks.
9.0 The Special Rules
General. (B) The following rules (9.1.1 – 9.1.14) describe special influences on the battle that apply primarily in the early turns. These rules reflect the fact that the Germans achieved total strategic surprise over the Americans. This bolstered German attack capability while nearly paralyzing Allied forces for the first three days, with the strongest effects felt on the first day. Additional special rules (9.2 to 9.6) provide advanced and optional rules that increase realism and uncertainty. Players should agree beforehand which advanced and optional rules to use during the game and record them on the Advanced / Optional Rule List.
9.1 German Surprise Advantages
9.1.1 German Supply
(B) All German units had sufficient supply for the first two days of the battle. Therefore, all German units are considered to be in general supply on the 16AM through the end of the 17PM game turns. Attack supply rules still apply during this period.
9.1.2 Restricted Allied Replacements
(B) No Allied units may receive replacements during the 16AM to 17PM game turns. Allied replacements accrue normally beginning on the 18AM game turn. There is no such restriction on German replacements.
9.1.3 Restrictions on Allied Reserves
(B) The Allied player may not designate reserves on the 16AM or 16PM game turns, however some Allied units begin the game in reserve. Allied reserves may not move in the exploitation phase of the 16AM game turn. Allied reserves may move freely in the 16PM game turn even if German units have moved adjacent to them with the exceptions cited in the Allied OOB, Notes C1, C2 and C3.
9.1.4 Restricted Allied Movement
(B) Due to the surprise of the German attacks and the loss of communication from the German artillery barrage and radio jamming on the DEC 16AM and PM turns, all Allied units are restricted in their ability to move. On the 16 AM game turn, the Allied player does not receive a reaction phase before the German attacks. In the Allied 16AM game turn, only Allied units that were attacked by the German player, or had German units move adjacent to them, or had German units move while adjacent to them are eligible to move or attack German units, although they are limited to moving only one hex. On the 16 PM game turn, only Allied units that were attacked in the 16 AM or PM turns, or had German units move adjacent to them, or move while adjacent to them may move or attack, although they move their full movement allowance. Beginning on the 17AM game turn, all Allied units move and attack normally.
9.1.5 Restricted German Movement
(B) The German player does not receive a movement phase on the 16AM game turn, the units that start on the map are assumed to have already moved into their historical assault positions. The German player may not designate reserves on the 16AM game turn (although a number of German units set up in reserve). These units may move normally in the exploitation phase of the 16AM game turn.
9.1.6 German Traffic Jams
(B) (If Optional Rule 4.4.4.4 (Road Space) is used, this rule is not used). On the 16AM and 16PM game turns, the road movement cost for German motorized units moving along roads of any type is doubled. It is unaltered for German non-motorized units and all Allied units. This restriction does not apply on the 16PM game turn to the two units of KG Peiper that pay the normal cost for road movement.
9.1.7 Kampgruppe Peiper
(B) On the 16PM game turn (only), the two units of Kampgruppe Peiper (ISS/1/I and 1SS/1/II) may ignore enemy ZOCs in the movement phase, exploitation phase and advance after combat. To use this "breakout" capability, the two units must end their 16PM movement within four hexes of each other or remain stacked as a German Kampfgruppe. Also, unlike other German units on the 16PM game turn, KG Peiper pays the normal cost for road movement, is exempt from the Traffic Jams and Road Space optional rules, and may conduct a forced march. The first time that KG Peiper attacks as a Kampfgruppe (both units are stacked in the same hex), the German combat odds for that one battle receive a positive (+1) combat odds shift to the right (e.g. a 1-1 attack becomes a 2-1 attack). This special, one-time attack is only available once and may not be used for the remainder of the game.
9.1.8 Panzer Brigade 150
(B) The first time that Panzer Brigade 150 attacks, the German combat odds for that one battle receive a positive (+1) combat odds shift to the right (e.g. a 1-1 attack becomes a 2-1 attack). This special, one-time attack is only available once and may not be used for the remainder of the game.
9.1.9 German Night Infiltration
(B) See Rule 4.4.4.1.
9.1.10 German Surprise Attacks
(B) German attacks conducted on the 16AM game turn receive two positive (+2) combat odds shifts to the right. German attacks on the 16PM through 18AM game turn receive one positive (+1) combat odds shift to the right. These surprise attack combat odds shifts do apply to reserve combat attacks conducted in the 16AM – 18AM game turns but do not extend to artillery barrage attacks made against Allied artillery units.
9.1.11 Restrictions on Allied Combat
(B, Adv) Allied artillery units may not perform any type of fire on the 16AM game turn. On the 16PM game turn, Allied offensive fire support and barrage attacks are halved (fractions rounded up) and Allied defensive fire support is quartered (fractions rounded up). Allied artillery fires normally on the 17AM and subsequent turns with the exception of bridge interdiction fire, that may not be attempted before the 17PM game turn. Allied tactical air support during the 17AM game turn (if available) may only fly ground attack support or ground defense support missions. Allied tactical air support performs normally beginning on the 18AM game turn.
9.1.12 Monschau Artillery Restriction
(Opt) During the planning for Wacht Am Rhein, Field Marshal Model forbade artillery fire on the picturesque German town of Monschau (1006). After the failure of the first day's attack, this restriction was rescinded. On the 16 AM and PM turns only, the German player may not use artillery for offensive fire support or barrage attacks on the town of Monschau.
9.1.13 Restrictions on Allied Engineer Operations
(B) The Allied player may not build improved positions (IP) before the 17AM game turn or attempt to blow bridges or create road blocks before the 17PM game turn. The German player may do any of these from the beginning of the game.
9.1.14 Restrictions on Allied Commanders
(Opt) The Allied player may not augment the offensive or defensive combat strength of any units or conduct an all-out-attack or hold-at-all-cost defense during the 16AM and 16PM game turns. Allied units may conduct deliberate attacks or defenses within the command range of Allied Corps commanders during these turns. (Cl)
9.2 Uncertain Weather
(Opt) During the actual battle, weather was a decidedly uncertain element but had a major impact by restricting or bringing into play one of the Allies' greatest advantages, their air power. The basic game uses the historical weather that is depicted on the Turn Record Track but this rule provides greater uncertainty. Rule: On the 16AM and 16PM game turns the weather is always overcast and the ground conditions normal. Beginning on the 17AM game turn, the Allied player rolls one die on the Uncertain Weather Table to determine the weather for that game turn. On each subsequent AM game turn, the die is rolled on the Uncertain Weather Table and modified by the previous day's weather.
9.2.1 Uncertain Weather Effects (Opt)
9.2.1.1 Overcast
(Opt) Neither player receives tactical air missions (except the German who receives the Ju-88 on PM game turns). Ground conditions are normal and the allied air supremacy rule is not in force.
9.2.1.2 Mist
(Opt) Both players receive tactical air missions from the 17AM or 18AM historical air mission allotment (they must be taken in that order; the 17th air missions being used for the first day of mist weather; the 18th next and repeating the sequence as necessary). The German gets the Ju-88 at night. The ground conditions on the first day of mist weather are normal. The ground conditions on the second and subsequent days of mist weather are mud. The allied air supremacy rule is not in force.
9.2.1.3 Clear
(Opt) Both players receive tactical air missions from the 23AM, 24AM, 25AM, 26AM or 27AM historical air mission allotment (they must be taken in that order; the 23rd air missions being used for the first day of clear weather; the 24th next and repeating the sequence as necessary). The German gets the Ju-88 at night. The ground conditions are frozen and the allied air supremacy rule is in force.
9.2.1.4 Snow
(Opt) Re-roll the die again. On a roll of 1-4, snow allows air missions from the 29AM, 30AM, 31AM, JAN 01AM, or JAN 02AM historical air mission allotment (they must be chosen in that order; the 29th air missions being used for the first day of snow weather; the 30th next and repeating the sequence as necessary). The German gets the Ju-88 at night. The ground condition is frozen and the allied air supremacy rule is not in force. On a die roll of 5-6, ground fog cancels all air missions (even the German Ju-88), the ground conditions are frozen and the allied air supremacy rule is not in force.
9.2.1.5 Blizzard
(Opt) No air missions are available to either player and ground conditions are snow for the rest of the game regardless of future weather conditions. The Allied player continues to roll on the Uncertain Weather Table to determine air missions for future turns. The allied air supremacy rule is not in force.
9.3 Committing IISS Panzer Corps
9.3.1 General
(Opt) In the 6th Panzer Army attack plan, "Panzer Rollbahn" (panzer rolling roads) were assigned to the 1st SS Panzer Corps that extended from its jump-off line to the Meuse River. These were designated A, B, C, D and E. The first three were for 12th SS Panzer Division and the latter two for 1st SS Panzer Division. Echeloned behind them was the 2nd SS Panzer Corps consisting of the 9th SS Panzer Division and 2nd SS Panzer Division that were to follow on these same roads as soon as the rollbahn were clear. This rule allows the early commitment of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps as soon as the German player captures certain key objectives. See the German OOB Notes N5, N6 for Rollbahn routes and unit appearance data.
9.4 "Operation Spätlese"
(Adv) The German 15th Army offensive was to be launched if the 6th Panzer Army was successful in the initial crossing of the Hohnes Venn plateau and reaching the Meuse River. The attack, code named "Operation Spätlese" was to consist of an armored thrust from the Heinsberg area by the 25th Panzer Grenadier, 9th Panzer and four infantry divisions. The spearhead was to converge on Maastricht and, in conjunction with the ISS Panzer Corps advance past Liège, encircle the U.S. First Army.
9.4.1 Offensive Launch Requirements
(Adv) The German player may, at his discretion, launch the offensive at any time in the game that he fulfills all of the territorial objectives listed in the German OOB, (Note N9). Should he decide to do so, he announces the launch to the Allied player and the effects begin immediately.
9.4.2 Effects of the Offensive
(Adv)
9.4.2.1
(Adv) Unless they have already arrived, units identified in the German and Allied OOB (Note ##) do not enter the game.
9.4.2.2
(Adv) On turns subsequent to the offensive launch that the Allied player would receive tactical air support, his air missions are reduced by one FB unit.
9.4.2.3
(Adv) Once the German player launches the offensive, the highest victory level he can earn is a German Tactical Victory.
9.4.2.4
(Adv) Unless the German player has captured fuel, he rolls on the Fuel Shortage Table two turns earlier (18AM) than normal once the offensive is launched. This includes the turns when he rolls more than once on the table.
9.4.2.5
(Adv) Once the offensive is launched, the above conditions continue for the remainder of the game.
9.5 Fog Of War
(Opt) To help dispel some of the unrealistic elements of clairvoyance and certainty found in most board war games, the following rules are suggested:
9.5.1 No Peeking
(Opt) Neither player may examine enemy stacks before actually committing friendly units to attack them (including artillery and air support).
9.5.2 No Crystal Ball
(Opt) Neither player may examine the Order Of Battle Tables of the opposing player.
9.5.3 Hurry Up!
(Opt) Allow each player a maximum of 40 minutes for movement and combat during his or her player turn. This will speed play, sharpen skill and add the "idiocy element" without arbitrary rules. Use a chess clock or visible time piece with a second hand. Pause the clock and allow the defender no more than five minutes for his or her reaction phase (Cl).
9.6 Commanders
General. (Opt) There are 23 optional "commander" units included in the game that represent the various army and corps leaders and their staffs. Commander units can assist both offensive and defensive combat and in two cases, increase movement.
9.6.1 Commander Movement
(Opt) Commander units are motorized and move with the following modifications:
- Commanders always pay the road movement rate when moving along roads of any type, even when moving adjacent to or over other friendly units. Friendly units moving over commander units on roads of any type do not have to pay any additional cost.
- Commanders may enter strategic movement without any cost in movement points. They are still subject to all SM limitations, as are combat units moving adjacent to them in SM (Cl).
- Commanders may not exercise chain of command functions or augment the attack or defense strength of combat units while in SM (Cl).
9.6.2 Unit Movement Effects
(Opt) Combat units must be within the command range of a friendly army or corps commander in order to enter strategic movement (SM). Units entering the map as reinforcements are not restricted by this rule (Cl).
9.6.3 Chain of Command
(Opt) All combat units that attack must be within the command range of a friendly corps commander to conduct a deliberate or all-out attack; those that are out of range must make hasty attacks (see the Attack Order Summary table). All combat units (including artillery units) that defend must be within range of a friendly corps commander to conduct a deliberate or hold-at-all-costs defense; those that are out of range may only conduct a hasty defense (see the Defense Order Summary table). There is no limit to the number of deliberate attacks or defenses that an individual corps commander may control. A corps commander may control one all-out-attack or one hold-at-all-costs defense per player turn but in so doing forfeits his ability to control any deliberate attacks or deliberate defenses during that player turn (Cl).
9.6.4 Command Restrictions
(Opt) The British commander unit (Horrocks) may only assist British (white on red) units and British units may only be assisted by Horrocks. The Sixth Panzer Army commanders (Dietrich, Priess and Bittrich) may only assist Waffen SS (white on black) units, Pz Bde 150, 12 VG Div, 277 VG Div, 3FJ Div, and units of the ISS Pz Corps Artillery (ISS Pz/388, ISS Pz/402, ISS Pz/4VW and ISS Pz/9VW) (Cl).
9.6.5 Army Commanders
(Opt)
9.6.5.1 Command Range
(Opt) The command range in hexes of army commanders is three times their movement allowance. It is reduced to twice their movement allowance if they move or are forced to retreat in a turn. To keep track of this, commanders that do not move or retreat in a turn should be oriented right side up; those that move or retreat should be oriented sideways.
9.6.5.4 Von Manteuffel and Patton
(Opt) The German Fifth Panzer Army commander (von Manteuffel) and the U.S. Third Army commander (Patton) may provide an additional movement point to all units of a single division if they begin their player turn in the same hex as at least one unit of the division receiving the benefit. Independent, non-divisional units may not receive this bonus. The effect lasts for a single turn. The two army commanders can exercise this ability each turn if they choose, but no more than one division may receive the bonus in a single turn.
9.6.6 Corps Commanders
(Opt) The command range in hexes of corps commanders is two times their movement allowance. It is reduced to equal their movement allowance if they move or are forced to retreat as a result of combat. To keep track of this, commanders that do not move or retreat in a turn should be oriented right side up; those that move or retreat should be oriented sideways. Corps commanders must be within range of a friendly army commander in order to provide deliberate attack, all-out-attack, deliberate defense or hold-at-all-costs control to ground combat units. Corps commanders may also augment the attack or defense strength of ground combat units in a fashion identical to army commanders.
9.6.7 Augmenting Combat Strength
(Opt) The attack or defense option points of army or corps commanders that are not in SM may be used to increase the combat strength of any single hex of friendly units within the army or corps commander's range during either player's combat phase or during reserve combat (Cl). The added attack or defense strength points may not be in excess of the unmodified combat strength of the hex of units receiving the benefit. No more than one commander may add attack or defense strength points to any single hex of friendly combat units. However, a single commander unit may divide up his attack or defense strength points among various battles to the limit of what is available. Such added command strength points are not modified by terrain conditions in either attack or defense. Unsupplied units may be assisted in such a fashion although isolated units may not receive command strength points. Players may keep track of each commander's attack and defense augmentation points on the Commander Utilization Chart.
9.6.7.1 Augmentation Procedure
(Opt) Prior to each battle, both players announce which if any of his or her army or corps commanders will be augmenting a battle. The attacking player first announces whether an eligible commander will be used in the engagement, then the defending player. Combat strength points are then tallied in a conventional fashion, odds computed and combat resolved. Alternatively (and more fun, realistic), players may record their augmentation usage at the beginning of each player turn on the Commander's Utilization Table.
9.6.8 Elimination
(Opt) Commander units can be eliminated in combat under certain conditions. If they are attacked while alone in a hex, they defend with an unmodified combat strength of one. They do not have steps and are eliminated if called on to lose a step. When commander units are stacked with other friendly units under attack, commander units must allocate their defensive support points to that hex of friendly units and an extra die is rolled if the combat resolution is an FF or D result. If this second die roll is a 6, the commander unit is eliminated. The same is done when attacking units have a commander unit in their hex and receive an FF or A result. Commander units that are eliminated return at their reverse side strength on the owning player's following turn on the East edge of the map for the German player and the West edge of the map for the Allied player. This represents the appointment of a replacement commander. Eliminated replacement commanders are permanently removed from the game.
9.6.9 Effect of Allied Air Superiority
(Opt) On clear weather AM turns the movement allowance of all German commander units is halved (fractions rounded up). Note that this also reduces their command range accordingly. Like other German units, commanders are subject to air attack. German commanders disorganized by Allied air attack may not perform any functions while in a disorganized state. The German player may not perform air attacks on Allied commander units.
10.0 Victory Conditions
10.1 "The Last Blitzkrieg"
10.1.1 Game Length
16AM to 19PM game turns, playing time – 5 to 10 hours.
10.1.2 Accumulated Replacements
German 18 INF, 3 ARM; Allied 2 INF, 1 ARM. No bridge markers are deployed at the beginning of the game.
10.1.3 Victory Conditions
The German player wins if at any time he or she controls the towns of St. Vith, Bastogne, Spa and has three supplied units west of the 30xx hex row. He or she also wins if at any time they control three Liège city hexes or crosses the Meuse River with any single unit. The Allied player wins by avoiding the German victory conditions.
10.2 "Wacht Am Rhein"
10.2.1 Game length
16AM to 25PM game turns, playing time – 12 to 24 hours.
10.2.2 Accumulated Replacements
German 18 INF, 5 ARM; Allied 2 INF, 1 ARM. No bridge markers are deployed at the beginning of the game.
10.3 "Battle Of The Bulge"
10.3.1 Game length
16AM to JAN 02PM game turns, playing time – 24-36 hours.
10.3.2 Accumulated Replacements
Per the replacement rules and schedules. No bridge markers are deployed at the beginning of the game.
10.4 Victory Condition Levels
10.4.1 Decisive German
If the German player exits at least 18 supplied motorized units off the west and north map edges between "I-M", the game ends immediately.
10.4.2 Tactical German
The German player occupies any of the Liège or Namur hexes at any time OR exits at least six supplied motorized units off the west or north map edges between "I-M". This victory level cannot be changed but the German player may elect to continue playing to achieve a Decisive Victory.
10.4.3 German Marginal
The German player at any time has three or more supplied motorized units west of the Meuse River north of the town of Vireux (5221). This victory level cannot be changed but the German player may elect to continue playing to achieve a Tactical or Decisive Victory.
10.4.4 Draw
At the end of the game, the German player maintains at least one friendly unit in Bastogne (2427), St. Vith (1317), and Marche (3519), or at least one unit in two of the three towns and at least one supplied unit within three hexes of a Meuse River hex side north of hex 5022.
10.4.5 Allied Marginal
The Allied player avoids the German victory and draw conditions at the end of the game.
10.4.6 Allied Tactical
The Allied player avoids the German victory and draw conditions and there are no German units west of Bastogne or Marche at the end of the game.
10.4.7 Allied Decisive
The Allied player avoids the German victory and draw conditions and there are no German units in the towns of St. Vith, Bastogne, Marche or Houffalize at the end of the game.
10.5 Emergency Release of British Units
Should the British units be released east of the Meuse River due to the loss of 60 or more U.S. units, the victory level in all but the Last Blitzkrieg scenario are altered one in the German favor (e.g. a Draw becomes a German Tactical victory).
11.0 Game Variants
11.1 General
(Opt) Game variants can be used to play out certain "what if" elements that might have been used by either side in the campaign by mutual agreement; "balance the playing field" between players of differing experience by mutual agreement; or create an additional element of randomness (and fun!!!) that may aid in reducing the stereotypic nature of the game. To randomly determine which variants to use, the Allied player shuffles a standard card deck and deals each player two cards; one up and one down. The players examine their "down" card and if it is black, no game variant is available and he or she must execute the "historical" scenario with any mutually agreed Advanced and Optional Rules. If it is red, the number of the "down" card indicates which game variant he or she must execute in the game. Aces =1, Jacks =11, Queens = 12 and Kings =13. The player with the highest numbered "up" card may elect to keep his or her "down" card or trade it for the next card off the top of the deck. This can done only once. Both "down" cards are kept until the end of the game to demonstrate that the owner executed their game appropriately. See the original rule book for the description and details of the thirteen game variants available to each player.
Solitaire Play
-
"Dem's Da Breaks!" When you've made up your mind on a course of action, stick with it and roll the dice one time only. The purpose of a solitaire game is to teach and the only way to discover novel solutions to difficult problems is to do so in an unbiased and objective way.
-
Random Location of Allied Fuel Depots. The location of the two Allied fuel depots in the Stavelot / Spa area can be randomly determined by a two dice roll per depot on the table below. This will tend to place them near their historical locations while keeping them north of the Warche River and avoiding the possibility of both depots occupying one of the three overlapping hexes that the two deployment areas have in common.
| Dice Roll | Depot 2 (10 pt) | Depot 3 (5 pt) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2112 | 1712 |
| 3 | 2209 | 1711 |
| 4 | 2110 | 1713 |
| 5 | 2012 | 1809 |
| 6 | 2009 | 1810 |
| 7 | 2010 | 1811 |
| 8 | 2011 | 1812 |
| 9 | 2111 | 1813 |
| 10 | 2210 |
Clarifications (Cl)
The following index lists where the rulebook's clarifications (Cl) apply. Items are printed as they appear in the source.
Introduction references:
- (Intro, p.6) The Charts and Tables
- (Intro, p.8) Improved Positions
- (Intro, p. 8) Armor Units
- (Intro, p. 9) Artillery, Rocket Launchers
- (Intro, p. 11) Engineers
- (Intro, p. 11) Westwall Hexes
- (Intro, p. 11) Forest Hexes
- (Intro, p. 11) Rough Terrain Hexes
- (Intro, p. 11) Light Woods Hexes
- (Intro, p. 11) Clear Terrain Hexes
- (Intro, p. 12) Slope Hex Sides
- (Into, p. 12) River Hex Sides
- (Intro, p. 12) Roads
Rule references:
- 1.6 Attack Supply Determination
- 1.9 Allied Fuel Dumps
- 1.9.3 Effects of Captured Fuel on the Germans
- 1.12 Surrender
- 2.2 Replacing Destroyed Units
- 2.4.1 Scheduled Replacements
- 2.4.2 Non-Scheduled Replacements
- 4.1 Movement Phase, General
- 4.2.3 Bridge Hex Side Movement
- 4.2.4 River and Ford Hex Side Movement
- 4.3 Movement Allowance by Unit Type
- 4.3.3 Commando Movement
- 4.4 Zones Of Control (ZOCs)
- 4.4.2 Provisional ZOCs
- 4.4.3 No ZOC
- 4.4.4.1 German Night Infiltration
- 4.4.4.2 Night Operations
- 4.4.4.4 Road Space
- 4.5.1 Entering Strategic Movement
- 4.5.3 Strategic Movement Limitations
- 4.5.5 Leaving Strategic Movement
- 4.6.1 Advantages and Requirements for Road Movement
- 4.8 Normal Movement
- 4.10 Combining Movement
- 4.11 Stacking Limitations
- 4.11.2 Withholding Reinforcements
- 4.12.4 Withdrawing Units
Sequence Of Play Chart
- Weather determination (AM only, begins 17AM)
- Remove Air Attack Disorganized Markers
- Aviation Unit Arrival
- Allied Non-Battlefield Interception (AM only, begins 18AM)
- Air Resupply
- Supply Determination Phase (Phasing player first)
- German Fuel Shortages, Fuel Dump Evacuation, Surrender
- Replacement Phase (Conditional unit arrival)
- Air Interdiction
- Air Attacks
- Reserve Designation Phase
- Movement Phase
- Allied Air Supremacy, Strategic Movement designation, Reinforcement entry, Traffic Jams/ Road space, Force March/Unit Fatigue, Fuel capture/destruction, Bridge construction/demolition
- Enemy Reaction Phase
- Combat Phase
- Combined Arms/Armor superiority, Tigers Scare!, Ground Attack Support/Ground Defense Support, Artillery restrictions, Bridge Interdiction Fire
- Exploitation Phase
- Exploitation movement, Reserve Combat
- Engineer Phase
- Improved Positions, Road Blocks, Remove Ground Combat Disorganized Markers
Terrain Effects Chart
Movement point costs. "Ground Conditions" columns are the ground conditions named in Rule 4.2.1. Entries marked "(Same as other terrain in hex)" are as printed.
| Terrain | Motorized Normal | Motorized Mud | Motorized Frozen | Motorized Snow | Non-Motorized Normal | Non-Motorized Mud | Non-Motorized Frozen | Non-Motorized Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rough | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Woods | 3 | 4 | 2 |
- Ground conditions are indicated on the track record (basic) or during the Weather Determination Phase (advanced). (4.2.1)
Notes to the Terrain Effects Chart:
- Westwall Hexes: Armored infantry, panzer grenadier and engineer units move through Westwall hexes as if they were non-motorized. They pay the terrain cost of the other terrain in the hex. (4.2.6)
- Strategic Movement: Motorized units in strategic movement (SM) have their movement points tripled (x3); German non-motorized units in SM have their MPs doubled (x2); Allied non-motorized infantry and engineer units in SM have their MPs increased five-fold (x5). (4.5)
- March Movement: Terrain costs for off-road movement for infantry, armored infantry and panzer grenadier units are reduced by one MP for all hexes, but never less than one MP per hex. Units performing march movement may not be adjacent to enemy units at any time in a game turn. (4.7)
- Rivers: Armored and artillery/rocket, flak and anti-tank units may only cross rivers at intact bridge or ford hex sides. (4.2.4)
- Meuse River Hex sides: Units may only cross Meuse River hex sides at intact bridges or fords (8.1.2). Infantry, armored infantry and panzer grenadiers may cross the Meuse River with Engineer assistance (4.2.4).
- Slope Hex sides: Motorized units pay one additional MP to cross slope hex sides except along a road of any type. Non-motorized units do not incur this cost. Armored units may not cross slope hex sides to move into light woods or forest hexes except along a road of any type. (4.2.5)
- Fords: Armored units expend their full MPs to cross ford hex sides. German armor types 2,3,5, and 6 may not cross fords at all. (4.2.4)
Movement Combination Table
| Movement Mode | Normal | Road | March* | Strategic | Force March |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor | Y+ | Y+ | N (F+) | Y | PM |
| KG / TF | Y+ | Y+ | N (F+) | Y | PM |
| Infantry (Any) | Y+ | Y+ | Y+ | Y | PM |
| Artillery/Rocket | Y+ | Y+ | Y+ | Y | N |
| Flak/AT |
Y = Yes, + = May combine with other + movement modes, F = Frozen, N = No, PM = Night turn
Cbt Res ½ - ½ = Combat Reserve MP in Movement Phase (FRU) - Exploitation Phase (FRD)
Exp Res 0 – Full = Exploitation Reserve MP in Reaction Phase - Exploitation Phase
* No adjacent enemy, not during Heavy Snow conditions; (P) = KG Peiper Exception (9.1.7)
Uncertain Weather Table
| Die Roll | DEC 17-21 | DEC 22-27 | DEC 28-JAN 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Clear | Clear | Clear |
| 1 | Clear | Clear | Clear |
| 2 | Overcast | Clear | Overcast |
| 3 | Overcast | Clear | Mist |
| 4 | Mist | Clear | Snow |
| 5 | Mist | Overcast | Snow |
| 6 | Mist |
Modifier (Previous Turn's Weather): Clear -1; Overcast 0; Mist +1; Snow +1; Blizzard +1.
Combat Results Table – AM
The AM (Day) table is read by terrain row. Each terrain type has its own odds columns, shown below; the die roll rows give the result for each column.
| Terrain | Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | Col 4 | Col 5 | Col 6 | Col 7 | Col 8 | Col 9 | Col 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest | 1-1 or less | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 | 6-1 | 7-1 | 8-1 | 9-1 | 10-1 or more |
| Woods | 1-2 or less | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 | 6-1 | 7-1 |
| Die Roll | Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | Col 4 | Col 5 | Col 6 | Col 7 | Col 8 | Col 9 | Col 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | D1+ | FF | D1 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2X | D2X | DE | DE |
| 1 | FF | D1+ | FF | D1 | D1 | D2 | D2X | D2X | D2X |
Note: the source prints "1AX" in the die roll 4 row of this table and of the PM table; it is transcribed as printed.
Combat Results Table – PM
The PM (Night) table is read the same way, with its own terrain odds columns.
| Terrain | Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | Col 4 | Col 5 | Col 6 | Col 7 | Col 8 | Col 9 | Col 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest | 1-1 or less | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 | 6-1 | 7-1 | 8-1 | 9-1 | 10-1 or more |
| Woods | 1-2 or less | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 | 6-1 | 7-1 |
| Die Roll | Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | Col 4 | Col 5 | Col 6 | Col 7 | Col 8 | Col 9 | Col 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | D1+ | ENG | D1 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2X | D2X | DE | DE |
| 1 | ENG | D1+ | ENG | D1 | D1 | D2 | D2X | D2X | D2X |
Results (Rule 6.12)
- D-1 – Defender retreats all units one hex. (Optional step loss for terrain occupied)
- D-2 – Defender retreats all units two hexes. (Optional step loss for terrain occupied)
- D2X – Defender takes one step loss and retreats all units two hexes. (Optional step loss for terrain occupied)
- DE – Defender eliminates one defending unit and retreats all remaining units two hexes. (Optional step loss for terrain occupied)
- FF – Both players take one step loss from any of the involved units.
- ENG – Inconclusive fighting, all participating units locked in combat.
- A1 – Same as D1 except it applies to the attacker's unit(s).
- A1X – Same as D1 except it applies to the attacker and all units that retreat are disorganized.
- A2X – Same as D2x except it applies to the attacker and all units that retreat are disorganized.
- AE – Same as DE except it applies to the attacker and all units that retreat are disorganized.
Combat Modification Chart
Modification of Attack or Defense Strength
Attack Strength DOUBLED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Armor units attacking non-armored units defending in clear terrain hexes (exceptions, 6.2.8).
Attack Strength is HALVED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Units are out of general supply or attack supply (1.4 and 1.6).
- Units attacking across river hex sides (6.2.10).
- Armor units attacking up slope hex sides (exceptions, 6.2.9).
- Armor units attacking into forest or Westwall hexes (exceptions, 6.2.4, 6.2.5).
Defense Strength is DOUBLED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Units defending in improved positions (IP) (8.2.2).
- Units defending in city hexes (6.2.3).
- Units defending in Westwall hexes (6.2.4).
- Armored units defending in clear terrain hexes (exceptions, 6.2.8).
Defense Strength is HALVED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Units are isolated (1.5.3).
- Units are in strategic movement (SM) (4.5.3).
- Units are disorganized (6.8.4.2 and 6.12.9).
Artillery Barrage Strength is HALVED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Artillery firing at defending units in Towns, Cities, improved positions or Westwall hexes (6.7.9).
- Allied barrage attacks and offensive fire support on the 16PM turn (6.7.10)
Artillery Barrage Strength is QUARTERED (Fractions Rounded UP) for:
- Allied defensive fire support on the DEC 16PM turn (6.7.10).
- German defensive fire support throughout the game (6.7.3).
Note: Combat strength modifications are NOT cumulative; a unit's attack or defense strength may not be doubled, halved or quartered more than once.
Combat Odds Shifts
- -1: Attacking into Town hexes (6.2.2).
- -1: Coordinated Defense (6.4.1 (B) or 6.4.2 (Adv)).
- -1: Ground Defense Support (6.8.2).
- -1: German Tiger tanks (6.6) or Tiger Scare! (6.6.1) in defense.
- -1: Elite troops in defense (6.11.2).
- -1: German units defending in Westwall hexes (6.2.4).
- +2: German attacks on DEC 16AM game turn (exceptions, 9.1.10).
- +1: German attacks on 16PM through 18AM game turn (exceptions, 9.1.10).
- +1: Coordinated attack (6.4.1 (B) or 6.4.2 (Adv)).
- +1: Ground Attack Support (6.8.1).
- +1: German Tiger tanks (6.6) or Tiger Scare! (6.6.1) in attack.
- +1: First attack of KG Peiper or Panzer Brigade 150 (9.1.7 and 9.1.8).
- +1: Successful German commando deception attack (6.4.8).
Note: Combat odds shifts ARE cumulative (i.e. multiple attack / defensive odds shifts are possible).
Die Roll Modifier
- -1: Subtract one from the die roll if the attacker has a combined arms advantage or armor superiority (6.5).
- +1: Add one to the die roll if the defender has a combined arms advantage or armor superiority (6.5).
Combined Arms Table
| Defending Unit Type | Attacking: Infantry | Attacking: Armor | Attacking: Inf & Armor (CCx, KG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Infantry & Armor (CCx, KG) | +1 | +1 | ** |
| Armor | +1 | ** | -1 |
| Flak, Anti-Tank | 0 | +1 | +1 |
| Engineer | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Artillery/Rocket | 0 | 0 | +1 |
Numbers = die roll modification. ** See Armor Superiority Table.
Armor Superiority Table
A = Allied, G = German, D = Defender.
| German Armor | 1 – M-5 (Stuart) | 2 – M4 (Sherman) | 3 – M10 (TD, Churchill) | 4 – M18 (Hellcat, Cromwell) | 5 – M36 (TD) | 6 – M4/A3 (Jumbo, Firefly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Mk IV | G | D | G | D | D | A |
| 2 – Mk V (Panther) | G | G | G | G | D | G |
| 3 – Mk VI (Tiger) | G | G | G | G | G | G |
| 4 – Jgpz IV (Jagdpanzer IV) | G |
German Tank Identity Table
Die roll that identifies German tanks as "Tigers".
| German Panzer Types | Allied "Green" Combat Unit | Allied Armor | Allied Infantry / Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panther (2) | 1-4 | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Jagdpanther (5) | 1-6 | 1-4 | 1-5 |
"Green" = All units of the U.S. 75INF, 87INF, 99INF and 106INF Divisions.
Fuel Dump Demolition Table
| Die Roll | 16AM – 16PM | 17AM – 18AM | 18PM – JAN 02PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blown | Blown | Blown |
| 2 | Blown | Blown | Blown |
| 3 | Blown | Blown | Blown |
| 4 | Captured | Blown | Blown |
| 5 | Captured | Captured | Blown |
| 6 | Captured | Captured | Captured |
| 7 |
- +0: Allied Engineer within three hexes
- -1: Any Allied unit within one hex
- +2: No Allied unit within one hex
- +1 in addition to above: Pzr Bde 150 or German commando unit w/ capturing German unit.
Note: Range is measured from the unit's hex (exclusive) to the fuel dump hex (inclusive).
German Fuel Shortage Table
| Dice Roll | Division or Brigade Out of Supply |
|---|---|
| 2 | Panzer Lehr |
| 3 | Panzer Lehr |
| 4 | 15 Pz Grenadier (15PG) |
| 5 | 3 Pz Grenadier (3PG) |
| 6 | 12SS Panzer (2SSPz), Führer Grenadier Bde (FGB) |
| 7 | 2SS Panzer (2SS Pz) |
| 8 | 9SS Panzer (9SS Pz), 10SS Panzer (10SS Pz) |
| 9 | 1SS Panzer (1SS Pz), Führer Begleit Bde (FBL) |
| 10 | 116 Panzer (116 Pz), 11 Panzer (11 Pz) |
| 11 | 2 Panzer (2Pz), 9SS Panzer (9SS Pz) |
| 12 | 2 Panzer (2 Pz), 15 Pz Grenadier (15PG) |
Surrender Table
| Die Roll | SS, Fallschirmjager, Airborne, Glider, Ranger | "Green" Units | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1,2,3 | 1,2 |
German "Green" units: 62VG, 276VG, 560VG. Allied "Green" units: 75INF, 87INF, 99INF, 106INF, 9ARM, 11ARM.
Bridge Demolition Table
| Die Roll | Engineer within 2 hexes: Allied | Engineer within 2 hexes: German | Other Unit within 1 hex: Allied | Other Unit within 1 hex: German | Engineer within 4 hexes: Allied | Engineer within 4 hexes: German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| 2 | D | D | D | D | D | NE |
| 3 | D | D | D | NE | NE | NE |
| 4 | D |
+1 for a ZOC emanating from a non-crossing enemy unit; +1 for adjacent commando unit. D = Destroyed, NE = No Effect.
Commando Deception Attack Table
| Die Roll | 16PM–17PM | 18AM–19AM | 19PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S | S | S |
| 2 | S | S | S |
| 3 | S | NE | NE |
| 4 | NE | NE | NE |
| 5 | NE | NE | NE / ELIM |
| 6 | NE / ELIM | NE / ELIM | NE / ELIM |
S = Success; NE = No Effect; NE/ELIM = No Effect and commando eliminated.
Commando Elimination Table
| Die Roll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S | C | C | C | C | C | C |
| 2 | S | S | C | C | C | C | C |
| 3 | S | S | S | C | C | C | C |
Column headings are Allied ZOCs Entered. S = Success, C = Captured; N/A if stacked with German combat unit. Subtract 1 from die roll for each game turn after 16PM. Automatic capture from 19AM onward unless stacked with German combat unit.
Ground Attack Support Table
| Die Roll | Allied | German |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +1 |
| 2 | +1 | +1 |
| 3 | +1 | +1 |
| 4 | +1 | None |
| 5 | None | None |
| 6 | -1 | -1 |
Column heading: Direction of Combat Odd Shift.
Ground Defense Support Table
| Die Roll | Allied | German |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1 | -1 |
| 2 | -1 | -1 |
| 3 | -1 | None |
| 4 | None | None |
| 5 | None | None |
| 6 | +1 | +1 |
Column heading: Direction of Combat Odd Shift.
Air Attack Table
| Die Roll | Clear | Rough | Woods | Forrest, Town, City, IP * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2 | Step | Step | DIS | DIS |
| -1 | Step | DIS | DIS | DIS |
| 0 | DIS | DIS | DIS | DIS |
| 1 | DIS | DIS | DIS | NE |
| 2 | DIS | DIS | NE | NE |
- -2: Unit in strategic movement.
- -1: Motorized unit.
- -1: German JU-88 making an air attack on PM turns.
- +1: Non-motorized unit.
- +1: German Flak adjacent to attacked hex.
- +2: German unit making an air attack on AM turns.
* Include Westwall hexes for defending German units.
Step = One unit takes 1 step loss, all other units disorganized. DIS = All units disorganized. NE = No effect.
Air Interdiction Table
| Units Attempting | Interdiction Success |
|---|---|
| US/British Bombers | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| US/British Fighters | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| German Aircraft | 1, 2 |
No effect on hex occupied by German Flak unit. +1 modification within 1 hex of a German Flak unit.
German Paradrop Table
| Die Roll | Fate of KG V. Der Heydte |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Lands at full strength |
| 3-4 | Lands at reduced strength |
| 5-6 | Eliminated |
Attack Order Summary Table
| Attack Order | Attack Option Points | Effects on Combat Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Hasty Attack | ENG Results are resolved as A1 | |
| Deliberate Attack | Normal Combat Resolution | |
| All-out-attack | Attack odds shifted 1 right. Attacker's losses in the event of an FF, D1+, A1X or A2X result are doubled. |
Note: Attacks out of range of a corps commander are always resolved as "hasty" attacks. Only one all-out-attack may be ordered by each corps commander per turn, but all deliberate attacks are then forfeit.
Defense Order Summary Table
| Defense Order | Effects on Combat Resolution |
|---|---|
| Hasty Defense | Must retreat rather than elect to lose steps on D1 or D2 results, even if in village, town, city, Westwall or IP hexes. |
| Deliberate Defense | Normal Combat Resolution |
| Hold-at-all-costs | Attack odds shifted 1 left. Defender's losses in the event of an FF, D1X or D2X result are doubled. |
Note: Defenses out of range of a corps commander are always resolved as "hasty" defenses. Only one hold-at-all-costs defense may be ordered by each corps commander per turn, but all deliberate defenses are then forfeit.
Advanced / Optional Rule List
Players record which advanced and optional rules are in use.
- 1.3.1 Sources of Supply
- 1.9 Allied Fuel Dumps
- 1.10 German Fuel Shortages
- 1.11 Air Resupply
- 1.12 Surrender
- 2.4.2 Non-scheduled Replacements
- 4.3.1 German Kampfgruppen (KG)
- 4.3.2 Allied Task Forces (TF)
- 4.3.3 Commando Movement
- 4.3.3.1 Commando Traffic Mis-direction
- 4.4.4.2 Night Operations
- 4.4.4.3 Disengagement
- 4.4.4.4 Road Space
- 4.9 Force March and Unit Fatigue
- 4.12.3 Force March and Unit Fatigue
- 4.12.3 Release of German Units
- 6.2.3.1 Sturmtiger / Sturmpanzer Indirect Fire / Assault Support
- 6.3.1.1 (7) Flak strength on AM turns
- 6.3.1.3 (4) Flak strength on AM turns
- 6.3.2 (7-12) Modification of Combat Odds
- 6.4.2 Combat Coordination
- 6.4.7 Inter-Allied Coordination
- 6.4.8 Commando Combat Deception
- 6.5.2 Combined Arms / Armor Superiority
- 6.6.1 Tiger Scare!
- 6.7.10 Allied Air Observation
- 6.8 Tactical Air Support
German Air Order Of Battle
| Turn | Available / Historic Missions |
|---|---|
| 16AM | - |
| 16PM | Ju-88: KG66 |
| 17AM | 5: JG 2,3,4,11,27 |
| 17PM | Ju-88: KG66 |
| 18AM | 4: JG 1,2,27,77 |
| 18PM | Ju-88: KG66 |
| 19AM | - |
| 19PM | - |
| 20AM | - |
| 20PM | - |
| 21AM | - |
| 21PM | Ju-88: KG66 |
KEY: (#) = FB, Ju-88 = German Bomber/Attack/Resupply, (-) = No Missions Available, WX = Weather, GAS = Ground Attack Support, GDS = Ground Defense Support, AI = Air Interdiction, AA = Air Attack, AR = Air Resupply, * = KG51 Cannot be Non-Battlefield Intercepted.
The source's German Air Order Of Battle also has blank record columns for WX, GAS, GDS, AI, AA and AR, which are left for the players to fill in and are not reproduced here.
USAGE: (Opt) The assignment of air missions in the Basic game provides an enormous amount of flexibility that likely exceeded the planning and command and control mechanisms of the German and Allied air forces of WWII, particularly in light of the simultaneous nature of the missions themselves and the omniscient knowledge of the targets available. Players who prefer a more realistic treatment of air power may adopt the following Optional RULE: A) Immediately following Weather Determination on each AM game turn, the total number of air missions available should be allocated to the five different mission types and recorded in the columns above. This reflects the time it took to plan air missions, assign appropriate squadrons, brief aircrews, prepare the aircraft for that day's events and coordinate their use with the appropriate air controllers (usually at the Army or Corps level). B) When the Uncertain Weather rules (9.2) are in effect, the number and type of air units should be substituted for that day's use. C) Unused air missions are lost. D) Each Player's Air OOB may be inspected by the opposing player at the end of the AM game turn for that day's air missions only.
Allied Air Order Of Battle
| Turn | Available / Historic Missions |
|---|---|
| 16AM | - |
| 16PM | - |
| 17AM | 5: FG 365,366,367,368,405 |
| 17PM | - |
| 18AM | 4, 1B: FG 365,366,404,368,B-26 |
| 18PM | - |
| 19AM | - |
| 19PM | - |
| 20AM | - |
| 20PM | - |
| 21AM | - |
| 21PM | - |
KEY: (#) = FB, (B) = US Bomber, (BB) = British Bomber, (BF) = British Fighter, Ju-88 = German Bomber/Attack/Resupply, TCC = C-47, (-) = No Missions Available, WX = Weather, GAS = Ground Attack Support, GDS = Ground Defense Support, AI = Air Interdiction, AA = Air Attack, NBI = Non-Battlefield Interception.
The source's Allied Air Order Of Battle also has blank record columns for WX, GAS, GDS, AI, AA and NBI, which are left for the players to fill in and are not reproduced here.
USAGE: (Opt) The assignment of air missions in the Basic game provides an enormous amount of flexibility that likely exceeded the planning and command and control mechanisms of the German and Allied air forces of WWII, particularly in light of the simultaneous nature of the missions themselves and the omniscient knowledge of the targets available. Player who prefer a more realistic treatment of air power may adopt the following Optional RULE: A) Immediately following Weather Determination on each AM game turn, the total number of air missions available should be allocated to the five different mission types and recorded in the columns above. This reflects the time it took to plan air missions, assign appropriate squadrons, brief aircrews, prepare the aircraft for that day's events and coordinate their use with the appropriate air controllers (usually at the Army or Corps level). B) When the Uncertain Weather rules (9.2) are in effect, the number and type of air units should be substituted for that day's use. C) Unused air missions are lost. D) Each Player's Air OOB may be inspected by the opposing player at the end of the AM game turn for that day's air missions only.
German Ground Order Of Battle
| Unit | KG Identifier | Type | ATTK | DEF | MV | R Attk | R Def | R Mv | Motor | Notes | Entry | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15A/1001 | GA9 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Y | 0302 | 0 | ||
| 15A/902 | GA10 | 2 | 3 |
German OOB Notes
Res: Unit sets up in reserve (Rule 3.2).
R- : Unit sets up or arrives in a reduced state.
CDR: Commander units. AL = Army Leader, CL = Corps Leader (Rule 9.6).
Cmdo: Commando non-combat units appear as reinforcements on the 16PM game turn at "U". (Opt)
N1: Pz BDE 150 does not arrive until Spa is captured, otherwise 18PM. (B)
N2: 614th Panzerjäger Company: Roll one die on the 17AM game turn to determine its appearance: On a "1" it arrives immediately at "X"; on a "2" it arrives immediately at "R-S"; on a "3" it arrives on the 20AM game turn at "R-U"; on a "4-6" it does not enter the game. (B)
N3: 653rd Jagdtiger Battalion: Roll one die on the 17AM game turn to determine its appearance: On a "1-2" it arrives immediately at "Y"; on a "3-6" it does not enter the game. (The note on the Turn Record Track is incorrect) (B)
N4: Operation Stösser (Rule 6.9).
$$: The Führer Begleit Brigade arrives unsupplied and remains so until the 19AM turn unless the German player has captured at least 5 point of fuel by the turn of their arrival. (B)
!!: The 2nd SS Panzer, 9th SS Panzer DIVs (less both Recon BNs and 19SS PzGr Regiment) and Führer Grenadier Brigade arrive unsupplied and remains so until the 20AM turn unless the German player has captured at least 5 point of fuel by the turn of their arrival. (B)
N5: The 2nd SS Panzer DIV arrives as soon as Malmedy and Spa are captured, otherwise on 20AM (B).
(Optional Rule 9.3.2, II Panzer Corps Commitment) The 2nd SS Panzer Division arrives at "T" the turn after which any of the following panzer rollbahn are cleared:
- Rollbahn A: Rocherath (0810), Elsenborn (1010), Belle Croix (1507).
- Rollbahn B: Rocherath (0810), Robertville (1310), Sart (1908).
- Rollbahn C: Dom Bütgenbach (1111), Malmedy (1511), Spa (2109).
Otherwise the 2nd SS Panzer Division arrives at "W" on the 20AM game turn. If the German player has not captured at least 5 units of fuel by the turn of its arrival, the division (except for the Recon BN (KG Recke)) arrives in an unsupplied state and is arbitrarily "Out Of Supply" for the first two turns it is on the map.
N6: The 9thSS Panzer DIV arrives as soon as Trois Ponts and Werbomont are captured, otherwise on 19AM (B).
(Optional Rule 9.3.3, II Panzer Corps Commitment) The 9th SS Panzer Division arrives at "U" the turn after either of the following rollbahn are cleared:
- Rollbahn D: Ligeuville (1513), Stavelot (1812), La Gleize (2112).
- Rollbahn E: Ambleve (1114), Recht (1515), Trois Ponts (2013).
Otherwise the 9th SS panzer Division arrives at "U-W" on the 20AM game turn. If the German player has not captured at least 5 units of fuel by the turn of its arrival, the division (except for the Recon BN (KG Krag) and 19SS PzGr Regiment) arrives in an unsupplied state and is arbitrarily "Out Of Supply" for the first two turns it is on the map.
N7: The 3rd Panzergrenadier DIV arrives as soon as Monschau is captured, otherwise on 18AM (B).
N8: 301 Panzer Battalion: Roll one die on the 22PM game turn to determine its appearance at "U-X": On a "1" it arrives immediately; on a "2" it arrives on 23PM; on a "3-4" it arrives on 24PM; on a "5-6" arrives on 25PM. (B)
N9: 15th Army Offensive (Operation Spätlese) Launch Requirements
- There is at least one SS unit within five hexes of a Meuse River hex side.
- The German player controls the towns of Monschau (1006) and Rockerath (0810) and any two of the following: Elsenborn (1011), Malmedy (1511), Spa (2110), Viviers (2105), Rotgen (1103), Eupen (1504), Simmerath (0704), Aywaille (2610) or Herve (2303).
- It is the 21AM game turn or earlier.
##: The following units do not arrive if the 15th Army Offensive (Operation Spätlese) has been launched. Otherwise on the listed game turn: 246th VG DIV, 340th VG DIV, 15th Panzer Grenadier DIV, 9th Panzer DIV.
N10: 10SS Panzer DIV: Arrives the turn after any German SS unit in general supply crosses the Meuse River between Liège and Namur inclusive, but never before 20AM.
10ss: Arrives when the 10SS Panzer DIV is committed. Arrives immediately if the 10SS Panzer DIV is on the map.
NW: OPERATION NORWIND: These units only arrive if Operation Norwind is cancelled using Game Variant #8 or #11. Both players may mutually agree to let the German Player cancel Operation Norwind and allow the units to enter the Ardennes. If this is done, the victory conditions are altered as follows:
- German Decisive = German Decisive
- German Tactical = Draw
- Draw = Allied Marginal
- Allied Tactical = Allied Decisive
- Allied Decisive = Allied Strategic
Transcribed as printed. The printed mapping has no entry for German Marginal or Allied Marginal, and "Allied Strategic" is not a victory level named elsewhere in this rulebook (Rule 10.4 uses Allied Marginal, Allied Tactical and Allied Decisive). Check against the original booklet before relying on this mapping.
N11: 11 Panzer DIV: The 11 Panzer DIV is not available in the game if the 257 VG DIV has been committed from OP NORWIND reserves (above). On the 20AM game turn the German player rolls to see if the 11 Panzer DIV arrives. On a roll of 1-2 the entire division arrives at "Y", although it may not cross west of the Westwall until it is released. On a roll of 3-6 the division arrives at "Y-Z" in the following order: 22AM - 11Pz/110 (5-5-6) and 11Pz/111 (4-5-6); 24PM - 11Pz/11 (2-2-8), 11Pz/15/II (3-2-7) and 11Pz/61 (2-3-6); 27PM – 11Pz/15/I (4-4-7). The division is released to cross west of the Westwall if any of the following occur at any time after the 20AM game turn: 1) Any German unit in general supply is west of the Meuse River; 2) The Allied player controls Wiltz; 3) The Allied player has one or more units east of any Westwall hex.
WD: Withdraw (immediately remove) the following units from the map on the 28AM game turn: LCVII/17 VW (9-2-0); LVIII/7 WV (11-2-0); 6PzA/150 (5-4-7); IISS/410 VAK (9-4-0).
MR: Only arrives if German units are within three hexes of a Meuse River hex side.
V9: Under Game Variant #9, units of the 257th VG and 25th Panzergrenadier divisions set up at the German player's discretion in the 7th Army sector at the beginning of the game.
Allied Ground Order Of Battle
| Unit | TF Identifier | Type | ATTK | DEF | MV | R ATTK | R DEF | R MV | Motor | Notes | Entry | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hodges | AL | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | Y | CDR | 2109 | 0 | |
| 1/16 | I | 5 | 6 |
Allied OOB Notes
Res: Unit sets up in reserve.
IP: Unit sets up in an improved position.
R- : Unit sets up or arrives in a reduced state.
RB: On the 16AM game turn, set up road blocks in the following hexes: 0711, 0713, 1014, 1212, 1327 and 1525.
CDR: Commander Units. AL = Army Leader, CL = Corps Leader (Rule 9.6).
C1: Bel. V Fus. This unit does not start in reserve but may not move until both the 5 and 10 point fuel dumps have been destroyed, captured or evacuated. See Rule 9.1.3.
C2: 1/16 INF. This unit does not start in reserve but was held by HQ 1st Army until the situation in its rear area became clearer. It may not move until one of the following occurs: a) KG Von Der Heydte lands at full strength; b) A German unit is in or adjacent to Spa (2109) or Eupen (1504); c) the 19AM game turn. (Rule 9.1.3).
C3: 9Arm/CCB. In the actual battle, this armored brigade was sent to rescue the two regiments of the 106th Infantry Division trapped in the Schnee Eifel. If it moves in the 16PM enemy reaction phase, it must move to St. Vith and ends its movement there. If the Allied player chooses not to do this or the unit cannot move to St. Vith, it is taken out of reserve and left in place. It may then move normally on the 17AM game turn. (Rule 9.1.3).
##: The following units do not arrive in the game if the German 15th Army offensive (Operation Spätlese) has been launched. Otherwise per scheduled turn: 2nd Arm DIV, 5th Arm DIV, 9th INF DIV, 83rd INF DIV, 84th INF DIV, VII Corps Artillery, British 33rd Arm Brigade, British 43rd INF DIV, British 51st INF DIV.
N1: 5Arm/CCR arrives the turn after the following occurs but not before the 17AM game turn: a) German player occupies Marche (3519) or crosses the Meuse River; b) German player moves any unit into or adjacent to Rotgen (1103) or Eupen (1504); c) German parachute unit (KG v. Der Heydte) lands at full strength. (Rule 9.1.3).
N2: 5Arm/CCA and CCB arrive the turn after the German player enters any Liège hex or crosses the Meuse River with any combat unit, but not before the 24AM game turn.
(RA): Designated U.S. units may not cross or move east of the Meuse River or Semois River until released.
N3: 11Arm DIV and 17 Airborne DIV are released at any time they are on the map and the German player holds Bastogne (2427) or captures any of the following towns: Bouillon (4231), Herbeumont (3835), Vireux (5221) or Revin (5525). Otherwise, the 11th Arm DIV is automatically released on the 29AM game turn, and the 17th Airborne Division is released on the JAN 01AM game turn. (Rule 4.12.2.2).
N4: 90th INF DIV may not enter the game unless at least one German unit is west of the Meuse River or 60+ Allied units are destroyed (including replacements), but not before 26 PM game turn. The matrix below may be used to keep track of how many Allied units contribute to this rule.
Allied Unit Destruction / Release Matrix
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 |
WD: Withdraw (remove from map) all units of 10th Arm DIV on the 26PM game turn if the Allied player controls Bastogne. Otherwise as soon as the Allied player captures Bastogne (2427) or Houffalize (2222).
(BR): All British units and the one and French unit may not cross or move east of the Meuse or Sambre Rivers unless the number of Allied units destroyed (not including those replaced) exceeds 60. They may operate freely west of these rivers throughout the game. Should they be released in this manner, the victory level is altered one level in the German favor (e.g. a draw becomes a marginal German victory).
N5: The British 2HHC (3-2-8) is released on the 21AM game turn.
N6: British 51st INF DIV arrives the turn after at least one German unit is west of the Meuse River, but not before the 25AM game turn.
N7: The British 29th Armored Brigade (7-6-7) is automatically released anytime the German player moves within four hexes of a Meuse River hex side, otherwise on the 25AM game turn.
N8: The British 33rd Arm Bde and all units of the British 53rd INF DIV and 6th Parachute DIV are released on the 30AM game turn.
Commander Utilization Table
Record sheets for tracking commander use by turn (Rule 9.6). The printed grids for each turn, from 16AM through 02 JAN PM, are blank spaces for the players to mark, except that some cells are printed "N/A". The grid rows are the turns; the printed commander columns are listed below.
German Commanders
| Cmdr | Dietrich | Hitzfeld | Preiss | Bittrich | Puechler | Manteuffel | Lucht | Krüger | Leuttwitz | Decker | Branden | Kneiss | Beyer | Rothkirc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3-3-7 | 2-3-7 | 3-3-7 | 3-3-7 | 2-3-7 | 5-5-8 | 3-3-7 | 3-3-7 | 4-3-8 | 3-3-7 | 3-4-7 | 2-3-7 | 2-3-7 | 2-3-7 |
Allied Commanders
| Cmdr | Hodges | Gerow | Middleton | Ridgeway | Collins | Patton | Eddy | Millikin | Horrocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 4-4-7 | 3-3-7 | 3-2-7 | 3-4-7 | 4-3-8 | 6-4-8 | 3-3-7 | 3-2-7 | 3-2-7 |
| Turn | 1A | V | VIII | XVIII | VII | 3A | XII | III | XXX |
Legend (German commanders page):
Command Range:
- Army Commanders = 3x MP (21 or 24) if stationary that turn, 2x MP (14 or 16) if they moved or retreated.
- Corps Commanders = 2x MP (14 or 16) if stationary that turn, 1x MP (7 or 8) if they moved or retreated.
Combat Augmentation:
- \ - Attack Point; / Defense Point
- A = All-out Attack
- H = Hold at all costs
Legend (Allied commanders page):
Command Range:
- Army Commanders = 3x MP (21 or 24) if unmoved that turn, 2x MP (14 or 16) if they moved or retreated.
- Corps Commanders = 2x MP (14 or 16) if unmoved that turn, 1x MP (7 or 8) if they moved or retreated.
Combat Augmentation:
- \ - Attack Point; / Defense Point
- A = All-out Attack
- H = Hold at all costs
Attack Log
A record sheet for each attack (Rule 6.3). It has the columns Turn, Weather, Attk #, Hex, Attacking Units, Defending Units (each with ATT Str and DEF Str), Terrain, Odds, Modifier and Result. The printed sheets are blank, with attack rows numbered 1 to 24 on the first sheet and 1 to 23 on the second.
Replacement Schedule
Scheduled replacement points (Rule 2.4.1) by game turn, with the Unit Reorganization Track (Rule 2.4.2, optional) and the Running Total columns. The Unit Reorganization Track and Running Total columns are blank record spaces for the players, except where marked N/A.
| At Start | German INF | German ARM | U.S. INF | U.S. ARM | German REORG | German REFIT | U.S. REORG | U.S. REFIT | Running Total GER | Running Total U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16AM | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
| 16PM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A |
Infantry: 4 Attack, 3 Defense = 1 Replacement; Armor: 3 Attack, 5 Defense = 1 Replacement (2.4.2 Opt)